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BRITISH  COLUMBIA  AND  BEYOND 


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Twin  Falls  in  Yoho  Valley. 

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I^  U  iSI  O  li/    1       COLUMBIA 
C><A^AL)A        BEYOND 


An  Account  of  its  Settlement;  Its  Progress  from  the 
Early  Days  to  the  Present,  including  a  Review  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company;  Its  Amazing  Variety  of 
Climate;  Its  Charm  of  Landscape;  Its  Unique  Cities 
and  Attractive  Towns  and  Their  Industries;  A  Sur- 
vey of  the  Different  Peoples  to  be  Found  There, 
including  the  Japanese  and  Doukhobors ;  An  Analysis 
of  What  it  Offers  in  Opportunity  to  the  Home  Seeker, 
the  Agriculturist,  the  Business  Man,  the  Sportsman 
and  the  Traveller. 


BY 

ARCHIE   BELL 

Author  of 
The  Spell  of  China,"    "The  Spell  of  Egypt," 
"The  Spell  of  the  Holy  Land,"  etc. 

With  a  map  and  fifty-six  plates, 
of  which  eight  are  in  colour 


THE     PAGE     COMPANY 
BOSTON    '^    PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1918, 
By  The  Page  Company 


All  rights  reserved 


Third  Impression,  April,  1925 


Mkde  in  U.  S.  A. 


TO 

KATHERINE  M.  BELL 


M150? 


FOREWORD 


One  who  has  cruised  to  Bermuda  or  Porto  Rico  from 
the  eastern  seaboard  of  the  United  States  has  known  the 
joys  of  Atlantic  travel,  but  he  has  not  crossed  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  In  the  same  way,  the  tourist  who  has  crossed 
British  Columbia  has  known  the  joys  of  the  mountains. 
He  has  placed  his  feet  on  glacial  ice,  followed  trails  to 
snowy  peaks,  prowled  among  forbidding  chasms  and 
plucked  flowers  from  the  terraces  of  the  valleys.  Ang- 
ling, hunting,  canoeing,  camping  —  all  the  sports  of  the 
Alpinist  have  contributed  to  those  rare  days  of  his  excur- 
sion into  one  of  the  most  satisfying  regions  of  the  North 
American  continent. 

But  if  he  halt  at  the  line  that  divides  the  provinces,  even 
at  the  mountain  roof  where  the  great  trail  divides  and 
the  waters  begin  their  descent  toward  the  two  oceans  that 
wash  continental  shores,  he  has  not  seen  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains of  Canada.  To  turn  back  at  the  provincial  bound- 
ary posts  would  be  like  discontinuing  the  Atlantic  cruise 
at  an  island  washed  by  the  Gulf  Stream.  To  know  the 
mountains  and  to  experience  the  full  joys  of  making 
friends  with  them,  to  survive  the  first  impression  of 
austere  rebuke,  caused  by  their  majestic  and  frigid  hau- 
teur, one  must  ascend  the  great  staircase  from  the  Pacific 
and  follow  the  trails  that  lose  themselves  in  the  plains  of 
Alberta,  where  they  have  been  erased  by  the  settlers'  plow. 
Thus,  while  the  following  chapters  relate  primarily  to  the 
Sunset  Province  of  the  Dom.inion  of  Canada,  they  also 


viii  Foreword 


continue  the  narrative  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  Excursion 
into  Alberta.  The  volume  contains  no  reference  to  the 
latter  province,  however,  excepting  as  concerns  the  tour- 
ist resorts  on  the  granite  embankment  at  its  western 
boundary. 

Archie  Bell. 
Cleveland. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

Preface vii 

I    An  Outpost  of  Empire i 

II    Victoria   Regina ii 

III  Island  of  Romance 26 

IV  "  Gentlemen  Adventurers  " 38 

V    The  Island  Highway 48 

VI    Memories  of  Norway 64 

VII    An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 80 

VIII  Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake      ...     95 

IX    "  The  Royal  City  " 113 

X    Vancouver's  Side-trips 130 

XI  "  The  American  Liverpool  "       ....   144 

XII  The  City  of  Golden  Memories     .     .     .     .162 

XIII  Orchards  and  Lakes 188 

XIV  "  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  ".....  207 
XV    "What  Would  Jesus  Do?" 229 

XVI    Through  Ancient  Gorges 252 

XVII    Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds 272 

XVIII    Capital  of  the  Rockies 291 

Bibliography 3^7 

Index 311 

ix 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTEATIONS 


PAGE 


Twin  Falls  in  Yoho  Valley  (In  full  colour).    (See 
page  2yp)   ......         Frontispiece 

MAP  OF  BRITISH  COLUMBIA 


Entrance  to  Victoria  Harbour  (In  full  colour) 

Victoria,  from  House  of  Parliament  . 

Captain  George  Vancouver  .... 

Totems  and  Dug-out  Canoes,  Nootka  Sound 

Beginnings  of  Vancouver  Island  Town 

Douglas  Fir,  on  Island  Highway  (In  full  colour) 

Totem  Carved  to  Represent  White  Man 

Indian  Shrine  for  "  Oosh-mish  " 

Firing  Svend  Foyu  Harpoon  Gun 

Whales  at  Dock  on  Alberni  Canal 

Salmon  Fishing  .... 

Logging  on  Vancouver  Island 

Sawmill,  Alberni  Canal     . 

Vancouver,  from  the  Harbour     . 

"  Two  Sisters  "  guarding  Vancouver  Harbour 

Big  Trees  in  Stanley  Park,  Vancouver 

SiwASH  Rock,  Stanley  Park,  Vancouver 

The  Fraser  River  (In  full  colour)  . 

Barges  loaded  with  Salmon  at  Steveston  . 

Capilano    Canyon    Suspension    Bridge    (In    full 

colour)       ..... 
Prince  Rupert  and  Harbour 


Jasper  Park  Entrance  and  Government  Building     152 

154 
156 
158 


Mount  Edith  Cavell 
Mount  Robson 
Emperor  Falls     . 


14 
22 

28 

31 

40 

53 
66 
72 

74 

76 

86 

88 

92 

98 

104 

108 

no 

116 

122 

132 

146 


xii List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Mount  Robson  Glacier        .....  i6o 

A  Gold  Prospector 170 

The  Outside  of  a  Gold  Mine        ....  174 

The  Inside  of  a  Gold  Mine 176 

Indians  Spearing  Salmon    .....  191 

Junction  of  Thompson  Rivers,  near  Kamloops      .  193 

Hotel  at  Sicamous       ...         .         .         .         .  196 

Kettle  Valley  Railroad,  overlooking  Okanagan 

Lake          ........  198 

Cherries  grown  at  Kelowna  (In  full  colour)         .  201 

Trestle  of  Logs  on  Kettle  Valley  Route      .         .  210 

Lake  Christina  (In  full  colour)   ....  213 

View  of  Nelson,  from  Kootenay  River         .         .  217 

"  Big  Billy,"  the  "  Record  "  Mountain  Goat  .  222 
Indian    Blanket   Woven   from    Mountain    Goat 

Wool 224 

Kootenay  Lake    .......  226 

Group  of  Doukhobors  at  Brilliant      .         .         .  234 

Peter  Veregin,  Head  of  Doukhobors     .         .         .  246 

Illecillewaet  Glacier,  near  Glacier  Station        .  258 

Trail  to  the  Great  Glacier        ....  260 

Mount  Sir  Donald       .         .         .         .         .         .  262 

Christiaan  Haesler,  Swiss  Guide        .         .         .  264 

The  Great  Divide          ......  281 

Lake  Louise  and  Victoria  Glacier        .         .         .  284 

Valley  of  the  Ten  Peaks  and  Moraine  Lake        .  286 

Difficult  Climbing  on  Mount  Lefroy  .         .         .  289 

Banff  Springs  Hotel  ......  294 

Big  Horn  Rocky  Mountain  Sheep         .         .         .  298 

Herd  of  Buffalo  at  Banff  .....  300 

Mount  Rundle,  near  Banff         ....  302 

The  Three  Sisters,  near  Banff  (In  full  colour)      .  304 


SUNSET  CANADA: 
BRITISH  COLUMBIA  AND  BEYOND 


CHAPTER  I 

AN    OUTPOST    OF    EMPIRE 

There  are  many  routes  that  lead  to  Canada,  many- 
ports  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans  that  with  char- 
acteristic pride  claim  to  be  the  principal  gateways  of  the 
Dominion.  There  are  hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  of 
highways,  rivers,  railroads  and  lakes  that  mark  the  bound- 
ary crossing  of  visitors  from  other  countries.  Many 
people  prefer  to  cross  the  older  provinces  of  the  East 
and  the  prairies  of  the  vast  territory  that  stretches  from 
the  Great  Lakes  to  Calgary  before  mounting  the  colossal 
staircase  that  leads  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Sel- 
kirks  and  the  Coast  Range.  They  prefer  to  descend  the 
pathway  toward  the  setting  sun  that  slopes  abruptly  to 
the  Pacific,  with  huge  inlets,  towering  crags  and  tor- 
rential streams  that  rush  along  madly  towards  the  ocean 
and  in  their  wake  leave  a  landscape  that  always  has  been 
and  always  will  be  the  delight  and  bewilderment  of  all 
who  see  it.  Statistics  prove,  however,  that  the  majority 
of  trans-continental  travelers  in  the  western  provinces  of 
the  Dominion  prefer  the  itinerary  that  takes  them  in  the 
opposite  direction.  Easterners  going  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
1 


SUNSET  CANADA: 
BRITISH  COLUMBIA  AND  BEYOND 


CHAPTER  I 

AN    OUTPOST    OF    EMPIRE 

There  are  many  routes  that  lead  to  Canada,  many- 
ports  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans  that  with  char- 
acteristic pride  claim  to  be  the  principal  gateways  of  the 
Dominion.  There  are  hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  of 
highways,  rivers,  railroads  and  lakes  that  mark  the  bound- 
ary crossing  of  visitors  from  other  countries.  Many 
people  prefer  to  cross  the  older  provinces  of  the  East 
and  the  prairies  of  the  vast  territory  that  stretches  from 
the  Great  Lakes  to  Calgary  before  mounting  the  colossal 
staircase  that  leads  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Sel- 
kirks  and  the  Coast  Range.  They  prefer  to  descend  the 
pathway  toward  the  setting  sun  that  slopes  abruptly  to 
the  Pacific,  with  huge  inlets,  towering  crags  and  tor- 
rential streams  that  rush  along  madly  towards  the  ocean 
and  in  their  wake  leave  a  landscape  that  always  has  been 
and  always  will  be  the  delight  and  bewilderment  of  all 
who  see  it.  Statistics  prove,  however,  that  the  majority 
of  trans-continental  travelers  in  the  western  provinces  of 
the  Dominion  prefer  the  itinerary  that  takes  them  in  the 
opposite  direction.     Easterners  going  to  the  Pacific  coast, 


Sunset  Canada 


usually  allow  themselves  the  luxury  of  crossing  the 
United  States  outward  bound,  and  returning  through 
Canada.  One  who  has  crossed  Canada  from  coast  to 
coast  many  times  has  no  hesitancy  in  recommending  this 
route.  Rather  than  not  see  the  marvels  of  British  Co- 
lumbia at  all,  however,  it  is  advisable  to  enter  it  through 
the  towering  gateway  that  leads  from  Calgary,  Alberta, 
and  plunge  almost  immediately  into  scenery  that  chal- 
lenges comparison  with  anything  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa 
—  anything  to  be  encountered  on  the  North  American 
continent.  But  one  who  may  come  or  go  as  he  chooses, 
the  conscientious  traveler  who  feels  that  he  owes  himself 
the  rarest  pleasures  to  be  derived  from  observing  the 
wonders  of  nature,  one  who  appreciates  the  psychological 
effect  of  approaching  a  climax  in  travel  as  in  drama  or 
fiction,  will  permit  the  curtain  to  rise  as  he  stands  on  the 
deck  of  a  steamer  entering  the  port  of  Victoria  on  Van- 
couver Island.  He  will  arrange  that  the  rising  curtain 
reveal  this  enchanting  picture  of  Canada's  western  gate- 
way when  he  is  forming  his  first  impressions  of  the 
Dominion,  which,  in  many  ways,  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable stretches  of  land  on  earth  —  old  enough  to  have 
a  history,  but  a  country  the  present  and  future  of  which 
is  destined  to  be  written  larger  in  history  than  the  busy 
outside  world  is  likely  to  realize  without  personal  knowl- 
edge of  it  gained  by  contact  with  its  people,  who  have  an 
inheritance  from  nature  such  as  few  nations  have  had 
since  man  began  to  make  the  earth  his  home. 

Herein  lies  the  first  marvel  of  British  Columbia ;  it 
seems  to  be  so  self  sufficient  and  all  embracing.  Some 
countries  are  dry  or  wet,  hot  or  cold,  flat  or  mountainous, 
rich  or  poor  in  natural  resources,  and,  after  the  brief 
word   of   general   description,    anything  that   does   not 


An  Outpost  of  Empire  S 

adhere  strictly  to  the  rule  may  easily  be  put  down  as  an 
exception.  One  might  expect  an  area  so  vast  as  the 
Dominion  of  Canada  to  present  physical  diversities;  but 
to  find  them  all  in  one  province  is  a  surprise  to  the  tender- 
foot who  enters  this  outpost  of  the  British  Empire  for 
the  first  time.  At  whatever  season  of  the  year  he  ap- 
proaches the  harbour  of  Victoria  it  is  likely  that  he  will 
quickly  correct  former  opinions;  and  the  paradox  ex- 
pands as  he  travels  across  the  province  and  up  and  down 
the  lanes  of  its  extensive  territory ! 

Canadians  from  Halifax  to  Victoria,  and  from  To- 
ronto to  Hudson's  Bay,  have  never  forgiven  Kipling  for 
his  tribute  to  "  Our  Lady  of  the  Snows,"  although  he 
seems  to  have  given  poetical  expression  to  the  popular 
idea.  The  people  of  British  Columbia  are  particularly 
resentful  when  one  speaks  of  the  province  as  a  mountain- 
strewn  land  of  snow,  ice  and  rain.  Is  there  not  snow 
also  on  the  towering  peaks  of  torrid  Guatemala  or  Ecua- 
dor next  to  the  equator?  And  as  for  rain,  it  is  a  sad 
country  whose  fields  are  not  watered.  The  son  and 
daughter  of  "  B.  C."  (as  the  province  is  usually  called 
somewhat  affectionately  by  its  population)  and  the 
adopted  son  and  adopted  daughter,  who  have  recently 
made  the  province  their  home,  insist  that  it  is  the  "  Land 
of  Sunshine,"  the  land  of  scenery  that  can  be  matched 
in  few  parts  of  the  earth's  surface,  the  land  of  well- 
watered  hills,  valleys  and  tablelands  that  are  perfectly 
adapted  to  all  kinds  of  agricultural  pursuits  —  primarily, 
however,  the  "  Land  of  Sunshine."  But  there  are  within 
the  province  vast  stretches  of  land  that  are  so  dry  that 
sage-brush  does  not  flourish  as  it  does  in  the  deserts  of 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  without  the  irrigating  sys- 
tems that  are  now  bringing  the  melted  snows  of  nearby 


Sunset  Canada 


peaks  to  the  valleys  of  fruitful  orchards.  There  are 
parts  of  the  province  where  the  rain  seems  to  fall  con- 
tinuously throughout  the  year,  oozing  into  dense  forests 
that  become  almost  tropical  jungles,  with  long  moss 
hanging  from  trees  to  the  tops  of  underbrush,  where 
sunlight  seldom  penetrates  for  more  than  a  few  short 
hours  at  a  time,  and  where  the  foot  sinks  deep  into  velvety 
vegetation  that  exists  only  in  a  country  of  almost  per- 
petual downpour.  There  are  great  areas  of  towering 
rock  that  are  chiefly  the  abode  of  such  creatures  as  moun- 
tain goat  and  sheep.  There  are  vast  forest  lands,  the 
extent  of  which  is  barely  known  to  the  official  surveyors. 
And  there  are  tablelands  and  valleys  of  great  fertility, 
having  just  enough  sunshine  and  just  enough  rain.  The 
region  around  Ashcroft  is  so  mild  that  cattle  have  been 
left  on  the  range  all  winter.  Even  Victoria  enjoys  such 
a  mild  winter  that  snow  causes  almost  as  much  excite- 
ment as  it  does  in  England  and  disappears  almost  as 
readily.  East  of  Prince  Rupert,  however,  a  farmer 
claims  to  have  registered  the  temperature  at  seventy  de- 
grees below  zero.  I  have  visited  the  Chinese  Nankou 
Pass  in  summer,  and  I  have  been  in  the  Arabian  Desert 
in  July,  two  places  in  which  it  seemed  that  the  roeks 
and  sand  would  melt  under  the  tropical  sun;  and  yet  I 
do  not  recall  that  I  experienced  such  discomfort  from 
the  heat  as  I  did  in  the  valleys  shut  off  from  the  breeze 
by  the  mountains  of  Brit«ish  Columbia.  In  every  way 
the  province  seems  a  never-ending  paradox,  and  perhaps 
this  comes  about  in  large  measure  from  the  ignorance  of 
the  world  in  regard  to  the  realities.  One  hears  of  the 
cold  and  draws  the  conclusion  that  it  must  be  a  cold  coun- 
try, of  the  barren  mountains,  the  timber,  the  rain,  the 
heat  in  the  valleys,  or  of  the  almost  incredible  depth  of 


An  Outpost  of  Empire 


snow  in  the  mountain  fastnesses  and  forms  an  opinion. 
The  books  that  have  been  written  about  the  province 
usually  give  the  wrong  impression,  because  they  treat 
particular  phases  or  topics,  or  they  have  proceeded  from 
pens  wielded  by  prejudiced  enthusiasts.  They  do  not 
tell  all  of  the  truth  —  perhaps  because  there  seems  to  be 
too  much  to  be  told  —  and  the  result  is  a  surprising  un- 
familiarity  with  the  "  Sunset  Gateway  to  the  Dominion  " 
in  the  other  provinces  of  Canada,  in  the  United  States 
and  elsewhere.  Even  so  late  as  19 14  Griffith  remarks 
in  his  Dominion  of  Canada,  a  rather  sketchy  and  prosaic 
tome  which  seems  to  aim  at  facts :  "  It  will  be  noticed 
that  in  the  earlier  chapters,  dealing  with  the  history  of 
Canada,  very  little  mention  has  been  made  of  the  north- 
ern and  northwestern  parts.  There  is,  in  fact,  very  little 
history  to  tell  of  a  kind  which  has  any  bearing  on  the 
evolution  of  the  Canadian  race."  To  the  unprejudiced 
observer,  even  to  the  casual  traveler  into  what  were  track- 
less forests,  swamps  and  mountains  only  a  few  years  ago, 
this  will  appear  to  be  a  most  unfair  statement.  If  there 
has  been  a  more  remarkable  evidence  of  those  qualities 
that  have  had  a  bearing  on  the  evolution  of  the  Canadian 
race,  if  there  is  anything  more  typical  of  the  courage, 
ambition,  and  ability  of  what  is  best  in  the  Canadian  char- 
acter than  has  exhibited  itself  in  the  conquest  of  the  Brit- 
ish Columbia  wilderness,  the  harnessing  of  natural  forces, 
the  bringing  of  vast  wealth  from  its  soil,  rocks  and 
waters,  if  there  is  anything  more  romantic  or  spectacular 
than  the  story  of  the  men  who  penetrated  into  this  wil- 
derness seeking  furs,  then  gold,  found  both,  much  else, 
and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  cities  of  the  present  that 
story  remains  untold  in  Dominion  history. 

British  Columbia  remains  a  misunderstood  and  un- 


6  Sunset  Canada 


appreciated  province  —  the  latter  on  account  of  the  for- 
mer—  despite  the  fact  that  it  is  being  invaded  and 
crossed  each  season  by  tens  of  thousands  of  tourists. 
Perhaps  its  vastness,  and,  until  a  comparatively  recent 
date,  the  difficulties  of  penetrating  into  its  interior  are 
responsible.  Diffusion  of  accurate  information  in  re- 
gard to  it  will  prompt  a  more  numerous  band  of  travelers 
each  year ;  and  their  observations  will  extend  to  the  multi- 
tude. It  will  not  be  long  before  people  will  realize  that 
almost  everything  that  has  been  said  of  the  province  is 
true,  but  that  it  is  true  of  only  one  portion  of  its  esti- 
mated area  of  three  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  to 
three  hundred  and  ninety  thousand  square  miles.  In 
time  the  world  will  cease  thinking  of  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  great  divisions  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  as  cold, 
hot,  wet,  dry,  mountainous,  flat  —  or  any  of  the  other 
brief  adjectives  that  have  juggled  themselves  into  numer- 
ous pages  concerning  it.  It  is  none  and  it  is  all.  There 
is  but  one  word  that  may  be  applied  to  all  portions  alike ; 
it  is  beautiful.  Nobody  has  arisen,  and  none  will  arise, 
to  deny  that,  for  none  can  fail  to  fall  a  victim  to  its 
charm  of  landscape.  As  there  remains  a  tremendous 
ignorance  in  regard  to  it,  in  a  comparative  degree  its  vast 
resources  are  undeveloped,  and  knowledge  of  it  is  likely 
to  increase  in  proportion  to  its  expansion  and  progress 
even  in  those  directions  that  are  popularly  supposed  to 
have  become  exhausted.  Its  mines  have  produced  over 
three  hundred  millions  uf  dollars,  almost  every  running 
stream  having  produced  its  measure  of  gold,  and  yet 
mining  is  believed  to  be  in  its  infancy,  some  of  the  scien- 
tists declaring  that  only  the  surface  has  been  scratched. 
Fruit  raised  in  British  Columbia  has  already  received 
honours  in  the  markets  of  the  world,  yet  it  is  claimed  that 


An  Outpost  of  Empire 


there  are  one  million  acres  south  of  the  Fifty-second 
Degree  where  all  the  fruits  of  the  Temperate  Zone  may  be 
raised.  Apples,  peaches  and  grapes  were  not  produced  in 
sufficient  quantities  a  few  years  ago  to  supply  the  local 
markets;  but  it  seems  likely  that  fruit  growing  will  be- 
come one  of  the  important  industries  of  the  province 
very  shortly.  The  cities,  towns,  and  some  of  the  vil- 
lages are  brilliantly  lighted  by  power  generated  from 
waterfalls  which  are  a  part  of  almost  every  landscape, 
yet  in  his  address  to  the  Commission  of  Conservation  not 
long  ago,  Clifford  Si f ton  said  that  the  province  had  only 
a  little  over  73,000  horse  power  developed,  whereas  the 
streams  are  capable  of  a  development  of  2,065,500  horse 
power.  It  is  not  usually  considered  an  agricultural  prov- 
ince, and  yet  its  acres  yielded  over  $27,000,000  in  19 14. 
While  fisheries  are  becoming  "  worked  out  "  in  many 
parts  of  the  North  American  continent,  the  fisheries  pro- 
duction in  1 9 14  was  $15,000,000.  As  in  all  cases  w^here 
men  enter  a  country  covered  with  forests,  the  timber  of 
British  Columbia  has  been  ruthlessly  sacrificed  to  the  set- 
tler's ax,  but  it  is  officially  declared  that  there  are  300,- 
000,000,000  board  feet  of  merchantable  standing  timber 
in  the  92,000,000  acres  of  absolute  forest  land.  Pulp- 
wood  manufacture  is  thriving  in  certain  parts  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  yet  James  White,  assistant  chairman  of  the 
Canadian  Commission  of  Conservation,  is  authority  for 
the  statement  that  the  forests  of  British  Columbia  can 
continue  to  provide  6,000,000  cords  of  wood  for  this 
purpose  every  year  for  an  indefinite  period.  As  to  the 
climate :  in  a  province  spread  over  eleven  degrees  of  lati- 
tude, seven  hundred  miles  long  and  four  hundred  miles 
wide,  there  is  almost  certain  to  be  a  great  variety.  Ocean 
currents,  mountain  ranges  and  the  forests  combine  to 


8  Sunset  Canada 


form  a  series  of  moist  and  dry  belts  which  are  modified 
in  places  by  the  varied  elevation  of  the  mountains  and 
the  presence  of  various  mountain  passes.  Macoun, 
Canadian  government  naturalist,  has  said :  "  As  Ger- 
many was  to  the  Romans,  so  much  of  the  northwest  is 
to  us  —  a  land  of  marsh  and  swamp  and  rigorous  win- 
ter. Germany  has  been  cleared  of  her  forests  and  is 
now  one  of  the  finest  and  most  progressive  of  European 
countries.  May  not  the  clearing  of  our  northwestern 
forests  produce  a  similar  result  in  the  future  of  British 
Columbia  ?  "  It  seems  certain  that  when  the  timber  has 
been  cut  away  there  will  be  a  marked  decrease  in  por- 
tions of  the  country  where  now  the  rainfall  is  heaviest, 
but  conditions  in  the  greater  part  of  the  province  are 
permanent  by  reason  of  the  course  of  the  Japan  Current 
and  the  location  of  the  mountain  ranges.  Considered 
as  a  whole,  the  climate  of  British  Columbia  has  those 
essential  features  that  are  to  be  met  with  in  European 
countries  lying  within  the  temperate  zone,  such  as  the 
British  Isles,  the  north  of  France,  Belgium,  Holland, 
Denmark,  and  the  south  of  Sweden,  the  cradle  of  the 
greatest  nations  of  the  world,  and  it  is  therefore  a  cli- 
mate well  adapted  to  the  development  of  the  human  race 
under  the  most  favourable  conditions. 

But  as  before  noted,  winter  is  not  a  topic  that  the 
average  Canadian  cares  to  discuss.  Summer  is  beauti- 
ful —  when  it  comes  —  and  he  prefers  to  talk  about  the 
peach  crop  or  the  wheat  fields.  Even  fur  coats  are  not 
the  most  tactful  topic  of  conversation,  for  the  native  will 
say  that  in  parts  of  British  Columbia  they  are  never 
required.  This  is  true  in  one  part  of  Canada  as  in  an- 
other, east  or  west.  There  was  a  movement  to  revive 
ice  carnivals  at  Montreal,  but  it  was  abandoned.     People 


An  Outpost  of  Empire 


must   not   think   of    Canada   as   a  place  of    snow   and 
ice. 

British  Cokimbia  seems  to  have  something  character- 
istic of  every  country  in  the  world.  It  is  a  huge  melting 
pot,  with  the  representatives  of  the  British  Empire  as  the 
principal  ingredient  in  the  simmering  liquid  that  is  assum- 
ing its  permanent  flavour.  So  I  have  found  that  my 
notebook  constantly  compares  it  to  such  widely  dissimilar 
and  distant  places  as  China,  Panama,  Denmark,  Switzer- 
land, Italy,  Japan,  England  and  Bavaria,  as  I  wrote 
down  my  impressions  during  the  days,  wrecks  and  months 
passed  within  its  borders.  Some  of  these  observations 
and  comparisons,  when  I  came  upon  them  months  after- 
ward, when  far  away  from  the  grandeur  of  the  country 
in  which  they  were  written,  caused  me  to  pause  and  ask 
myself  if  I  had  been  too  favourably  impressed  with  what 
I  had  seen,  if  I  had  fallen  under  the  "  influence  "  that 
has  brought  so  many  men  and.  women  from  remote  parts 
of  the  world  to  be  adopted  by  British  Columbia  as  its 
own.  I  had  been  merely  an  on-looker,  a  casual  observer 
and  traveler.  What  I  felt  might  be  felt  by  any  tourist, 
doubtless  has  been  felt  by  thousands  who  kept  to  the 
great  highways  and  never  ventured  into  the  remoter  by- 
paths that  are  to  become  the  highways  of  the  future. 
There  was  an  impulse  to  curb  the  enthusiasm,  but  while 
I  questioned  the  wisdom  of  doing  so  I  came  upon  a 
fragment  of  Milton  (Oxford  Universal  Edition)  and 
then  I  realized  that  my  enthusiasm  needed  no  apology. 
I  had  seen  what  the  poet  did  not  see ;  I  had  experienced 
what  he  could  not  have  experienced  excepting  in  pro- 
phetic vision  when  he  wrote : 

"  Brutus,  far  to  the  West  in  the  ocean  wide, 
Beyond  the  realm  of  Gaul,  a  land  there  lies, 


10  Sunset  Canada 


Seagirt  it  lies,  where  giants  dwelt  of  old, 
Now  void,  it  fits  thy  people ;  thither  bend 
Thy  course,  there  shalt  thou  find  a  lasting  seat, 
There  to  thy  sons  another  Troy  shall   rise 
And  kings  be  born  of  thee  whose  dreaded  might 
Shall  awe  the  world  and  conquer  nations  bold." 


CHAPTER  II 

VICTORIA   REGINA 

British  Columbia  was  named  by  Queen  Victoria  in 
1858,  the  capital  city  having  been  named  in  her  honour 
fifteen  years  before.  Both  the  province  and  the  trading 
station  that  was  to  become  the  administrative  metropohs 
had  borne  other  names,  which  appear  in  the  early  maps 
and  letters  relating  to  the  territory,  but  which  would  be 
barely  recognizable  to-day,  save  by  the  student  who  has 
specialized  in  the  conquest  and  history  of  the  North 
American  continent. 

In  the  Letters  of  Queen  Victoria,  published  in  1907, 
there  is  one  that  solves  a  problem  over  which  there  had 
been  considerable  controversy.  It  is  dated  Osborne,  24 
July,  1858,  and  was  addressed  to  Sir  E.  Bulwer  Lytton. 
Objections  had  been  made  in  France  to  the  name  of 
New  Caledonia  being  given  to  the  proposed  colony  be- 
tween the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  and 
in  regard  to  the  matter,  Queen  Victoria  wrote :  "If  the 
name  of  New  Caledonia  is  objected  to  as  being  already 
borne  by  another  colony  or  island  claimed  by  the  French, 
it  may  be  better  to  give  the  new  colony  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  another  name.  New  Hanover,  New  Corn- 
wall and  New  Georgia  appear  from  the  maps  to  be  names 
of  subdivisions  of  that  country,  but  do  not  appear  on  all 
maps.  The  only  name  which  is  given  to  the  whole  ter- 
ritory in  every  map  the  Queen  has  consulted  is  Columbia, 
but  as  there  exists  also  a  Columbia  in  South  America, 
11 


12  Sunset  Canada 


and  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  call  their  country 
also  Columbia,  at  least  in  poetry,  '  British  Columbia ' 
might  be  in  the  Queen's  opinion,  the  best  name." 

Victoria,  the  capital,  was  originally  called  Fort  Cam- 
osun,  when  it  was  the  administrative  center  and  chief 
depot  of  the  western  department  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company;  but  in  1843  the  fort  was  built  and  named  in 
honour  of  England's  Queen. 

The  first  chapters  in  the  history  of  the  province,  how- 
ever, relate  to  events  that  transpired  before  the  naming 
of  the  mainland  and  before  the  ships  of  the  voyagers, 
free-booters  and  discovery-mad  sea-rovers  pointed  their 
bows  into  the  waters  of  the  beautiful  bay  at  the  southern 
tip  of  Vancouver  Island ;  but  the  traveler  entering  British 
Columbia  is  fortunate  if  he  first  sees  the  land  at  this  point, 
and  as  it  has  been  made  most  convenient  for  him  to  do 
so,  he  is  likely  to  follow  the  channel  of  least  resistance 
or  inconvenience  and  see  the  capital  before  he  sees  what 
lies  beyond  it,  something  that  is  not  possible  in  many 
countries,  states  or  provinces  of  the  world.  The  ships 
that  enter  the  port  may  steam  on  to  Vancouver  as  their 
terminal,  because  Vancouver  has  direct  railway  commu- 
nication with  all  parts  of  the  North  American  continent : 
but  the  commercial  metropolis  seems  to  be  an  extension 
of  the  voyage.  Victoria  is  the  logical  terminus  for  pas- 
sengers arriving  in  British  Columbia  from  Seattle,  Japan, 
China,  Hawaii  or  Australia.  It  is  the  beginning  of  a 
tour  of  the  province;  the  end  of  the  short  or  long  ocean 
voyage.  It  is  the  proud  British  sentinel  standing  at  the 
gateway  of  an  Empire.  Perhaps  you  have  met  this  sen- 
tinel in  other  parts  of  the  world;  perhaps  he  has  chal- 
lenged you  to  pass  him  and  you  have  respected  his 
authority.     He  is  masculine  in  appearance,  well-groomed. 


Victoria  Regina 13 

neatly  uniformed  and  pride  of  race,  ancestry,  traditions, 
all  are  apparent;  everything  that  is  near  and  dear  to  the 
British  heart.  This  sentinel  in  the  colonies  is  more  typ- 
ical of  the  British  Empire  than  England  itself;  he  is  the 
symbol  of  its  existence. 

I  have  been  on  ships  that  poked  their  bows  into  many 
small  and  large  harbours  of  the  world.  Some  of  these 
waterways  are  guarded  by  yellow  sands,  others  by  high 
mountains  that  seem  to  be  granite  gateways  opened  for 
the  occasion;  some  had  approaches  of  long  curved  lines 
of  shore  above  which  palms  dipped  their  fronds  toward 
ultramarine  waters  capped  with  white  foam,  others  were 
guarded  by  snow-capped  peaks  where  glaciers  were  slid- 
ing toward  the  sea.  Some  gateways  were  nothing  but 
seemingly  endless  lines  of  warehouses  in  and  around 
which  the  merchandise  of  the  world,  huge  bales  of  hides 
and  cotton,  barrels  of  oil  and  tar,  or  cases  of  fish  were 
piled.  There  was  the  clatter  of  the  stevedores  and  their 
trucks,  the  moaning  of  the  coolies  or  the  singing  of  the 
workers.  Men  shouted  at  horses.  Automobiles  or  rik- 
ishas  filled  the  landing  stages.  I  have  even  seen  desert 
Bedouins  come  to  port  to  watch  the  incoming  ship.  But 
there  are  none  of  these  as  one  enters  the  most  western 
port  of  Canada.  It  is  a  small  event,  the  arrival  of  a 
ship  at  Victoria,  where  ships  from  far  away  countries  or 
nearby  islands  are  tying  up  to  the  docks  almost  every 
hour  of  the  day  or  night.  Victoria  is  on  an  island,  and 
people  must  go  to  and  from  an  island  on  ships.  It  is 
of  comparatively  little  importance  whether  the  ship  has 
come  from  near  or  from  far.  There  is  not  much  curi- 
osity to  see  it  on  the  part  of  the  Victorians.  They  do  not 
visit  the  piers  to  see  the  Chinese  man  or  woman  in  native 
dress;  these  they  would  see  on  the  streets  of  the  business 


14  Sunset  Canada 


section  in  their  own  city,  or,  failing  that,  at  any  time  in 
the  local  "  Chinatown."  They  do  not  stare  at  the  sump- 
tuous and  gorgeous  turbans  of  the  Hindoo.  Men  simi- 
larly dressed  deliver  wood  or  coal  at  the  doors  of  their 
houses.  A  Chinese  mandarin  or  Japanese  dancer  in  full 
regalia  would  barely  excite  comment  in  the  streets  of 
Victoria.  The  port  is  not  only  the  gateway  of  the  em- 
pire, but  it  is  a.  sort  of  toll-gate  on  the  world's  great 
highway. 

On  the  steamers  that  come  to  Victoria  I  have  floated 
into  various  other  ports  and  harbours  accustomed  to  the 
cosmopolitan  mob,  but  none  of  them  surpasses  Victoria 
—  not  even  Hongkong,  the  emerald-hilled  "  Gibraltar  of 
China."  Victoria  is  a  fitting  gateway  to  a  land  of  mar- 
vels; sedate,  elegant,  somewhat  prim  and  marvelous,  in 
view  of  the  tremendous  tonnage  that  departs  from  or 
enters  her  gates.  The  streets  are  as  clean  as  the  floors 
of  a  Dutch  cottage.  Merchandise  is  stored  away  in 
warehouses.  There  is  a  great  stone  sea-wall  over  which 
English  ivy  drapes  itself  in  festoons  from  adjoining 
gardens.  Parliament  House,  the  Empress  Hotel,  the 
Post  Office,  Customs  House,  and  a  few  large  residences 
surrounded  by  gardens  and  parks  of  ornamental  shrubs 
and  trees  are  visible.  And  yet  one  arrives  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  capital  city.  The  last  time  I  arrived  in  Vic- 
toria harbour  it  was  in  the  early  spring.  Instead  of  the 
customary  warehouses  of  port  cities,  and  in  addition  to 
the  splendid  stone  buildings  that  are  grouped  around  the 
quays,  there  were  huge  beds  of  orange  and  purple  iris 
in  full  bloom  almost  down  to  the  ivy-covered  sea-walls. 
The  shrubbery  was  that  of  an  English  park.  Immedi- 
ately I  heard  the  voices,  even  those  of  the  newsboys,  I 
knew  that  I  had  reached  again  "  a  little  bit  of  England 


Entrance  to  Fictoria  Harbour. 


Victoria  Regina 15 

on  the  Pacific  coast  " —  a  general  description  beloved  by 
the  people  of  the  city.  Such  a  beginning  must  have  joys 
ahead.  It  seems  a  promise  and  it  will  not  disappoint. 
Victoria  has  been  called  "  The  Empress  City  of  the 
Golden  West,"  "  The  Floral  City,"  "  A  City  of  Homes," 
"  The  Evergreen  City  of  Canada,"  "  The  Mecca  of  Pa- 
cific Coast  Tourists  "  and  "  A  City  of  Sunshine."  Al- 
fred Emberson,  a  writer  who  gladly  confesses  to  being  an 
enthusiast,  says  that  there  is  a  difference  in  the  air  im- 
mediately felt  by  one  who  arrives  at  Victoria.  The  first 
impression  of  one  who  views  the  city  from  the  sea  may 
be  that  the  approach  is  very  similar  to  that  of  Stockholm. 
And  yet  John  Foster  Eraser  says  in  a  book  called  Canada 
As  It  Is,  but  which  should  have  been  called  "  What  An 
Englishman  Thinks  of  Canada  "  that  Toronto  is  the  most 
ultra-British  city  on  earth.  By  comparison,  Toronto  is 
thoroughly  "  American " ;  Victoria  is  England  trans- 
planted to  the  American  continent. 

And  again  the  paradox.  The  newcomer  is  likely  to 
believe  that  everything  is  "  English  "  because  the  British 
atmosphere  permeates  everything ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  the  great  meeting-place  of  the  East  and  West.  One 
sees  the  Indian  of  the  East  and  the  Indian  of  the  West, 
the  latter  with  the  marked  facial  resemblance  to  the  Chi- 
nese or  Japanese,  perhaps  presenting  to  the  present  a 
suggestion  of  that  romantic  past  that  has  been  lost  as  a 
matter  of  certain  knowledge.  Orientals  are  met  every- 
where. They  are  waiters  and  servants  in  the  hotels,  res- 
taurants and  homes,  and  they  are  "  common  labourers." 
East  Indians  seem  to  be  exclusively  the  drivers  of  carts 
—  a  notable  example  of  the  adaptability  of  men  to  sur- 
roundings and  requirements.  In  the  Victoria  sawmills, 
scattered  around  the  bay,  the  *'  lumber  jacks  "  are  Hin- 


16  Sunset  Canada 


doos.  The  incoming  steamers  pass  them  riding  the  logs 
as  if  they  had  done  it  all  their  lives.  Chinese,  Japanese, 
Filipinos,  Hawaiians,  Singalese,  Hindoos,  Greeks,  Ital- 
ians and  Germans  —  I  have  met  them  all  within  an  hour 
in  this  British  city  and  nobody  noticed  them  as  more  than 
a  part  of  the  usual  promenade  in  the  streets.  One  day  I 
observed  that  a  group  of  woolly-haired  Fijiis,  bare-head 
and  barefoot,  attracted  a  glance  from  the  Victorian  pe- 
destrian; but  I  believe  that  this  was  on  account  of  the 
large  number  of  them  who  were  fighting  men  bound  for 
"  somewhere  in  France  "  rather  than  from  their  unusual 
costume  or  personal  appearance.  Victoria  expects  the 
world's  population  to  pass  her  gateway,  and  it  has  done 
so  for  so  long  that  it  no  longer  excites  comment  or 
attracts  attention. 

The  traveler  who  can  distribute  his  time  as  he  chooses 
should  plan  to  arrive  here  in  May  or  June.  Victoria 
boasts  that  it  has  in  its  gardens  every  variety  of  flower 
that  will  bloom  in  England  —  and  many  others.  In  the 
last  weeks  of  May  the  lilac  bushes  are  in  bloom  and  the 
deep  orange  yellow  of  the  broom,  which  latter  spreads 
a  solid  mantle  over  many  hillsides,  fills  crevices  between 
jutting  rocks,  and  frequently  from  a  distance  recalls  the 
heather-covered  fields  in  the  open  country  of  Scotland. 
Parks  are  in  some  instances  great  stretches  of  woodland 
and  open  spaces  with  neat  walks  or  automobile  drives,  but 
with  no  "  keep  off  the  grass  "  signs,  and  no  *'  bobbies  "  to 
say  "  go  here  "  or  "  don't  go  there."  In  the  majority  of 
cases  these  beauty  spots  have  been  left  in  their  natural 
state,  with  a  helpful  hint  here  and  there  from  the  gar- 
dener who  planted  a  flowering  shrub  that  nature  did  not 
place  beside  the  pathway. 

It  chanced  that  the  day  after  my  arrival  was  Sunday. 


Victoria  Regina  17 

I  was  awakened  by  a  chime  of  bells  playing  a  hymn;  it 
seemed  more  "  English  "  than  the  week  day  had  been. 
By  eleven  o'clock  all  the  bells  had  rung  and  their  chimes 
had  echoed  and  reechoed  around  the  hills  that  hold  the 
city  in  a  basin.  The  grinning  "  barker  "  on  the  "  Seeing 
Victoria "  tallyho  the  day  before  had  shouted  as  we 
passed  a  group  of  churches :  "  doubtless  you  have  all 
heard  that  Victoria  is  a  temperate  or  '  dry  '  city.  We 
have  many,  many  churches  and  only  three  saloons  —  to 
every  church."  But  Victoria  is  godly  and  God-fearing 
in  an  English  sort  of  way  on  Sunday.  Most  of  the  shop 
windows  are  boarded  up.  Shortly  before  eleven  o'clock, 
father,  mother  and  the  children,  all  dressed  in  their  best, 
file  out  from  behind  the  closely  matted  and  trimmed 
hedges,  father  opens  the  gate  as  his  various  dependents 
oass  into  the  church  pew.  Although  a  modern  govern- 
ment has  provided  excellent  sidewalks  or  "  paths  "  as  the 
English  and  Victorians  call  them,  the  older  families  of 
the  city  take  to  the  middle  of  the  road.  Following  an 
English  custom,  some  of  the  streets  have  a  path  only  on 
one  side.  On  Sunday,  however,  most  of  the  church- 
going  procession  does  not  deign  to  use  it;  they  walked 
down  the  road  to  church  in  the  Mother  Country  and  they 
will  continue  to  do  so.  How  reverently  they  cling  to  the 
old  English  customs!  And  they  are  not  the  city  cus- 
toms, not  those  of  London,  Birmingham  or  Manchester, 
but  rather  of  that  beautiful  English  rural  life  o-f  which  no 
country  in  the  world  offers  a  more  pleasing  exam.ple. 
Go  to  the  remotest  corner  of  England  and  the  family 
will  be  "  dressed  "  for  Sunday.  The  "  boots  "  of  the 
men  and  boys  shine  like  mirrors.  Likely  as  not  father 
wears  his  tall  hat,  carries  a  stick  and  gloves ;  and  in  the 
lapel  of  his  coat  there  is  a  flower  cut  fresh  for  the  occa- 


18  Sunset  Canada 


sion  from  the  garden.  Mother  has  one  of  those  prim 
little  black  lace  bonnets  perched  atop  her  hair  which  has 
been  crimped  for  the  Sabbath.  The  girls  —  even  those 
who  are  old  enough  to  consider  themselves  young  ladies 
if  they  lived  in  the  United  States  —  have  their  hair  hang- 
ing down  over  their  shoulders.  And  Victoria  has  de- 
parted less  from  the  English  traditions  on  Sunday  than 
on  other  days. 

With  a  Hudson's  Bay  "  caravan,"  Father  J.  B.  Bolduc 
came  to  the  settlement  in  1843  ^^^  celebrated  the  first 
mass.  When  Vancouver  Island  was  occupied  by  the 
same  company,  the  Rev.  R.  J.  Staires  was  made  the  Epis- 
copal church  chaplain.  Christ  Church  was  built  in  1855 
and  in  1865  it  became  the  cathedral  of  the  diocese.  The 
present  cathedral,  which  is  built  entirely  of  wood  and  sits 
on  a  lofty  eminence  overlooking  the  city  of  churches, 
as  Victoria  seems  to  be  on  Sunday,  is  not  an  impos- 
ing structure  but  it  is  a  favourite  meeting-place  for 
residents  and  visitors,  the  pivot  of  Protestantism  on  the 
Island. 

The  latest  census  figures  give  the  city  a  population  of 
nearly  seventy-seven  thousand;  but  Victoria  is  larger 
than  other  cities  with  that  figure,  where  people  are 
crowded  into  thickly  settled  districts,  apartments  and 
tenements.  The  area  covered  is  extensive,  served  by 
thirty  miles  of  electric  railway.  It  is  a  city  of  homes  and 
gardens  set  within  precisely  trimmed  hedges  and  shrubs, 
with  formal  walks  and  borders  and  with  occasional  swans 
on  the  ponds  fed  by  fountains,  or  peacocks  stretching 
themselves  and  strutting  over  the  green  lawns  that  are 
clipped  like  velvet  carpets.  The  Englishman  loves  his 
garden  and  so  does  the  Victorian.  A  lecturer  who  had 
been  a  nurse  on  European  battlefields  during  the  Great 


Victoria  Regina  19 

War,  brought  a  message  of  joy  to  the  sad  relatives  of 
soldiers  at  the  front  when  she  related  that  wherever  it 
was  possible  the  boys  in  the  trenches  from  Victoria  were 
making  small  gardens  of  flowers  and  vegetables  as  they 
did  at  home.  Where  this  was  impossible,  some  of  tTie 
soldiers  had  piled  up  chunks  of  slag  and  cinders  to  re- 
semble garden  paths,  with  splotches  of  bright  paint  where 
flowers  would  have  bloomed  under  more  favourable  con- 
ditions. Even  in  war,  the  Victorian  proved  himself  ro- 
mantically and  sentimentally  attached  to  his  home.  He 
is  "  old  fashioned  " ;  he  admits  it  and  rather  boasts  of 
the  fact.  Victoria  prides  itself  in  being  the  grand- 
mother, with  few  of  the  characteristics  of  her  sprightly 
young  grand-daughter  Vancouver.  The  railway  ter- 
minal on  the  coast  declares  that  it  should  be  the  official 
capital  of  British  Columbia,  because  it  is  the  commercial 
metropolis;  a  declaration  that  seems  to  be  an  echo  of  New 
York's  contention  that  instead  of  Washington  it  is  the 
logical  capital  of  the  United  States.  "  And  one  of  these 
days  we'll  be  obliged  to  move  the  capital  over  here  " 
taunts  Miss  Vancouver.  Her  grandmother  Victoria 
smiles  tolerantly  and  replies :  *'  One  of  these  days,  when 
you  have  a  little  culture  and  know  that  the  chief  aim  of 
life  should  not  be  a  gaudy  display  and  noise,  you'll  take 
the  steamer  and  come  over  here  to  live." 

The  principal  buildings  and  the  principal  streets  of 
Victoria  are  quite  in  modern  style  and  usually  have 
unexpected  elegance.  The  shop  windows'  display  is  what 
might  be  found  in  eastern  cities.  But  venture  off  the 
main  highways  and  you  will  come  upon  strangely  lit- 
tered and  dusty  old  offices  that  are  reminiscent  of  the 
center  of  London.  As  I  wandered  into  one  of  these  side 
streets  to  the  office  of  a  large  real  estate  concern  I  ob- 


20  Sunset  Canada 


served  that  the  entire  front  window  was  given  over  to  a 
huge  and  gaudy  Hthograph  of  Queen  Victoria,  wearing 
the  crown  jewels,  a  work  of  art  that  may  have  come 
with  a  year's  subscription  to  a  "  family  "  newspaper  many 
years  ago.  Victoria  is  Victorian  chronologically  as  well 
as  nominally. 

A  local  guidebook,  which  seems  more  for  the  citizens 
themselves  than  for  reading  by  one  looking  for  guidance, 
reaches  rhetorical  ecstasies  when  it  speaks  of  "  the 
quietude  of  the  city  and  the  orderly  inhabitants,"  but 
what  the  book  says  is  true.  The  inhabitants  are  not  only 
orderly;  they  are  correct.  Victoria  is  as  sedate  and 
proper,  even  in  its  largeness,  as  any  English  village  with 
hedgerows,  gardens,  cross-tipped  spires  and  inhabitants 
who  are  shocked  by  the  speed  of  tourists'  automobiles. 
There  are  no  railings,  fences  or  gates  at  the  parks,  so 
the  same  "  guide  book  "  continues :  "  care  for  flowers  and 
respect  for  the  regulations  are  left  to  the  good  sense  and 
the  good  feeling  of  Victorians,  old  and  young,  and  few 
guardians  or  keepers  are  found  necessary." 

There  are  many  ways  of  visiting  the  principal  points  of 
interest.  There  are  views  that  are  best  appreciated  by 
one  who  rambles  to  the  parks  and  to  the  environs  on  foot. 
There  are  numerous  justly  famous  carriage  drives  and 
automobile  tours  long  and  short.  Even  the  tramways 
follow  attractive  streets  and  parkways  that  open  vistas 
that  are  not  seen  by  one  who  remains  in  the  central  part 
of  the  city  from  the  arrival  to  the  departure  of  the 
steamer.  Sometimes  it  appears  to  the  newcomer  that  the 
city  tries  to  appear  "  big,"  owing  to  the  so-called  decimal 
system  of  numbering  the  houses.  There  is  a  number 
reckoned  for  every  tw^enty  feet,  one  hundred  numbers  for 
each  block,  to  show  how  far  distant  it  is  from  a  given 


Victoria  Regina  21 

point,  thus  there  is  a  street  in  the  Oak  Bay  suburb  that 
has  two  houses  numbered  2565  and  2671  respectively. 

Automobiles,  carriages  and  pedestrians  turn  to  the  left, 
as  a  rule  of  the  road,  thus 

"If  you  go  to  the  right,  you   are  wrong; 
If  you  go  to  the  left,  you  are  right." 

which  is  somewhat  confusing  at  first  to  the  pedestrians 
and  chaufifeurs  from  the  United  States. 

Beacon  Hill  Park  covers  three  hundred  acres  and  is  no 
more  than  a  quarter-hour  walk  from  the  center  of  the 
city.  Here  may  be  obtained  a  splendid  view  of  the 
Straits  that  separate  the  Island  from  the  Mainland,  and 
the  Olympian  Mountains  in  the  state  of  Washington  are 
plainly  visible  on  a  clear  day.  Stadacona  Park  is  a  gem 
of  a  recreation  ground  five  acres  in  extent.  The  Gorge 
Park  is  two  miles  from  the  city  and  may  be  reached  by 
tramway.  Cordova  Bay  is  six  miles  from  the  city, 
reached  by  tramway  or  excellent  automobile  road.  It  lies 
at  the  foot  of  Mount  Douglas  and  the  drive  thither  may 
be  extended  to  Elk  Lake  and  Sydney,  which  is  a  favourite 
resort  for  picnics  and  campers.  Brentwood,  a  pleasant 
resort,  is  reached  by  motor  or  tramway  and  is  fifteen 
miles  from  the  city.  Foul  Bay,  a  popular  bathing  beach, 
is  less  than  three  miles  away.  And  these  are  only  a  few 
of  the  many  side-trips  that  will  repay  the  traveler  who 
does  not  arrive  in  the  capital  city  in  the  morning  expect- 
ing to  depart  by  the  evening  steamer.  Victoria  has  been 
a  leader  in  the  promotion  of  provincial  highways  and  one 
who  motors  into  the  Island  roads  will  find  most  attractive 
drives,  rich  in  scenic  beauties  for  a  day,  two  days  or  a 
week,  quite  irrespective  of  time  devoted  to  the  city  itself. 
The  Island  Automobile  Club  has  been  active  in  the  pro- 


22  Sunset  Canada 


motion  of  the  campaign  for  a  trans-Canada  motor  route 
covering  four  thousand  miles,  and  its  home  city  and  Van- 
couver Island  has  furnished  an  excellent  example  of  what 
is  possible  in  this  direction. 

One  who  has  only  a  day  in  his  itinerary  to  spend  in 
Victoria,  however,  will  profit  by  remaining  within  sight 
of  the  piers  at  which  he  disembarks,  where  the  time  may 
be  profitably  employed.  The  gigantic  Empress  Hotel  is 
in  many  ways  one  of  the  best  on  the  entire  continent. 
The  Parliament  Building,  a  massive  pile  of  stone,  erected 
at  a  total  cost  of  over  two  million  dollars,  is  an  imposing 
structure  and  worth  a  leisurely  visit.  The  Provincial 
Library,  housed  within  its  walls,  possesses  a  fine  collec- 
tion of  rare  prints  and  autograph  letters  and  other  docu- 
ments relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  northern  Pa- 
cific coast.  Ths  dome  is  capped  by  a  gilded  figure  of 
Captain  George  Vancouver,  who  would  be  much  more 
venerated  in  Victoria  if  his  name  had  not  been  appro- 
priated to  itself  by  the  city  across  the  channel.  There  is 
an  original  document  bearing  Vancouver's  signature  in 
the  library  collection,  but  his  diaries  and  journals  are 
"  copies."  When  I  asked  to  see  the  originals,  the  libra- 
rian was  astonished  by  my  request.  "  Bless  your  soul, 
sir,"  he  said,  "  you  didn't  imagine  that  we  had  the  orig- 
inals? Oh,  no,  the  British  Admiralty  would  not  part 
with  them  ;  but  we  have  certified  copies." 

Over  the  main  entrance  of  the  Parliament  Building  is 
carved  the  somewhat  intricate  coat  of  arms  of  British 
Columbia.  Concerning  it,  the  Year  Book  of  British 
Columbia  says :  "  The  features  to  which  it  is  intended 
to  draw  attention  are :  first,  unity  with  the  British  nation, 
both  by  descent  and  government;  second,  its  extreme 
western    geographical    position;     third,     its    maritime 


Victoria  Regina  23 

strength ;  fourth,  its  assured  permanence  and  glory ;  fifth, 
its  local  fauna.  These  objects  are  attained  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner,  respectively,  first,  the  field  is  covered  by 
the  Union  Jack,  the  grand  standard  and  national  emblem ; 
second,  upon  a  chief  is  defined  the  setting  sun;  third,  this 
charge  is  placed  upon  a  field  barry  undy  which  heraldic- 
ally  symbolizes  the  sea ;  fourth,  the  motto  '  Splendour 
sine  oecasu '  which  has  been  adopted  by  no  other  state  or 
individual,  refers  to  the  sun,  which,  though  apparently 
setting  never  decreases,  and  to  the  Empire  which  has  a 
glory  or  radiance  encircling  the  world;  fifth,  the  sup- 
porters, a  wapiti  stag  and  big  horn  are  the  most  noble 
creatures  of  the  province  and  typify  dignity  and  strength. 
These  two  animals  have  a  peculiar  significance,  as  they 
represent  the  union  of  the  Mainland  and  Island,  the  wapiti 
being  confined  in  its  habitat  to  Vancouver  Island  and  the 
big  horn  found  only  in  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  Main- 
land." 

The  Provincial  Museum  is  well  worth  a  visit,  having 
a  particularly  fine  collection  of  Indian  curios  and  of  the 
animals  that  were  slain  within  the  province.  There  are 
agricultural,  horticultural  and  mining  collections  in  the 
same  building  that  will  prove  attractive  to  the  tourist. 

In  1858  Victoria's  population  numbered  hundreds,  but 
the  sudden  influx  of  miners,  merchants  and  adventurers 
who  anticipated  a  repetition  of  '49  in  San  Francisco, 
when  gold  was  found  in  the  territory,  brought  the  figure 
to  over  twenty  thousand.  It  was  a  small  and  somewhat 
insignificant  trading  post;  but  it  suddenly  became  a  city 
—  a  city  of  white  tents  and  rude  shacks.  Land  lots  that 
had  gone  begging  at  one  dollar  each  were  sold  at  $100 
an  acre,  and  one  case  is  recorded  of  a  half -lot  bought 
for  $25  selling  within  a  month  for  $3000.     There  was 


24  Sunset  Canada 


the  inevitable  reaction,  but  when  it  came  Victoria  had 
benefitted  and  completed  many  improvements.  For  ex- 
ample, "  sidewalks  were  built  and  streets,  in  which  the 
pedestrian  used  to  sink  knee-deep  in  the  mire,  were 
macadamized." 

D.  W.  Higgins,  who  came  to  Victoria  when  the  first 
news  of  British  Columbia  gold  reached  San  Francisco 
and  who  has  remained  in  the  capital  city  since  that  time, 
not  only  told  me  of  the  "  romance  "  of  these  gold-hunting 
days  in  Victoria,  but  he  seemed  to  express  exactly  the 
local  point  of  view,  which  was  difi'erent  from  that  of  San 
Francisco.  He  said :  "  The  slump  had  set  in  in  San 
Francisco,  following  the  golden  days  around  the  middle 
of  the  last  century.  The  territory  was  supposed  to  be 
*  used  up,'  so  when  news  came  that  gold  had  been  dis- 
covered along  the  Fraser  River,  there  was  a  wild  scramble 
to  reach  British  Columbia.  Every  one  thought  there 
would  be  a  repetition  of  what  had  transpired  in  Cali- 
fornia. There  were  all  those  elements  of  glamour  and 
romance  of  what  had  happened  since  '49  to  stir  men  to 
the  new  adventure.  I  imagine  that  there  were  twenty 
thousand  who  came  to  Victoria,  which  was  the  nearest 
open  port.  Yes,  we  were  a  strange  crowd  and  even 
stranger  in  appearance.  Many  of  the  men  wore  comic 
opera  costumes  with  brilliant  sashes,  hatbands  and  cra- 
vats; but  the  difference  between  here  and  California 
was  that  they  did  not  duplicate  them  when  they  were  dis- 
carded. It  was  the  custom  here  to  put  on  '  working 
clothes '  after  the  fancy  things  were  discarded.  There 
was  never  the  fantastic  dressing  of  San  Francisco  for 
any  length  of  time,  never  the  flash  of  jewelry,  none  of 
those  actualities  of  the  gaming  tables  that  were  of  every- 
day occurrence  in  California.     In  Victoria  it  was  all  more 


Victoria  Regina 25 

practical,  yes,  more  prosaic ;  it  was  a  hunt  for  gold,  and 
that  hunt  was  a  Httle  more  strenuous  in  this  country. 
But  they  took  out  over  $700,000  worth  of  gold  in  1858, 
and  they  continued  to  find  gold.  Men  worked  diligently 
rather  than  fail,  or  when  they  failed  and  their  money 
was  gone  with  no  results,  they  accepted  all  kinds  of  me- 
nial positions  for  the  purpose  of  getting  money  so  they 
could  try  again.  California  and  the  California  life  ex- 
erted a  tremendous  influence  all  along  the  Pacific  coast." 
Then  Mr.  Higgins  related  an  experience  that  seemed  to 
show  the  conservative  British  attitude  toward  these 
epoch-making  times  in  Victoria,  quite  in  contrast  to  what 
had  transpired  in  San  Francisco.  "  I  had  known  two 
brothers  in  a  New  York  bank  before  I  came  West,"  he 
continued.  "  I  heard  they  had  reached  Victoria  before 
me,  in  fact  they  had  reached  it  long  enough  before  to 
have  lost  their  money  in  search  for  gold.  But  I  did  not 
know  this  and  I  inquired  for  them  and  visited  the  address 
that  was  given  me.  When  I  mentioned  the  name  of  one 
of  the  brothers,  a  hand  pointed  toward  a  tub  in  a  laundry, 
where  a  young  man  was  scrubbing  dirty  linen.  I  stood 
there  and  looked  at  him.  I  thought  of  a  *  gentleman ' 
doing  that  kind  of  work,  merely  to  get  money  to  begin 
another  search  for  gold,  and  I  admit  that  I  was  disgusted. 
I  thought  of  the  position  that  he  had  left  in  the  bank  to. 
come  here  for  the  great  gamble,  so  I  turned  away  and  did 
not  speak  to  him." 


CHAPTER  III 

ISLAND   OF   ROMANCE 

Habitual  doubters  and  searchers  for  "  actual  facts  " 
in  modern  times  have  robbed  Vancouver  Island  of  much 
of  its  legendary  history,  a  considerable  portion  of  which 
has  never  been  adequately  disproved  by  the  scientific  his- 
torians. This  treasure  island  has  an  authentic  record 
that  dates  considerably  beyond  the  coming  of  the  British 
to  its  shores.  There  was  a  day  when  the  Spaniards  in- 
cluded it  among  their  vast  possessions  on  the  Pacific  coast 
of  the  New  World,  and  as  time  goes  on  and  some  of  the 
secrets  of  the  Far  East,  which  have  reposed  on  the  dusty 
shelves  of  monasteries  and  temples,  are  disclosed,  it  may 
be  proved  that  the  Chinese  were  the  discoverers  and  the 
first  colonists  in  this  beautiful  island  of  mountains,  lakes 
and  trees,  which  is  a  bright  jewel  in  the  diadem  of  the 
British  Empire.  Glittering  romance  seems  to  have  de- 
parted from  the  island  when  it  became  a  colony  of  Great 
Britain.  First  there  was  the  hunt  for  furs,  then  the  lure 
of  the  gold,  and,  finally,  the  dream  of  a  notable  colony  in 
a  supposedly  cold  region,  which  had  been  visited  by  sev- 
eral voyagers  looking  for  the  water  passage  to  the  Atlan- 
tic ocean,  but  which  had  not  been  so  agreeable  or  dra- 
matic in  incident  as  the  cruises  along  the  coasts  of 
California,  Mexico  and  Peru.  Spain  turned  a  jealous 
eye  toward  Great  Britain's  extension  of  territory  and 
cruises  along  the  northwest  coast  were  renewed  with 
vigour.  In  1592  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  between 
26 


Island  of  Romance  27 

Vancouver  Island  and  die  Mainland,  were  discovered  by 
the  navigator  whose  name  they  bear,  but  reports  of  visits 
to  the  coast  of  British  Columbia  are  lacking  until  the  voy- 
ages of  Bodeja  and  Haceta  in  1775  and  of  Captain  Cook's 
voyage  in  1778.  Thus  for  over  a  century  there  are  blank 
pages  in  British  Columbia  history  and  the  continuation  of 
the  story  dates  to  the  time  when  Spain  began  to  fear  the 
loss  of  her  traditional  hold  on  the  western  seas,  as  the 
Russians  were  "  threatening  "  from  the  North  and  the 
British  seemed  to  be  everywhere. 

Captain  James  Cook  visited  the  coast  on  his  third  voy- 
age in  1778,  having  been  commissioned  by  the  British 
government  to  examine  the  coastline  from  about  45  de- 
grees north  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  for  the  reported  inland 
openings  toward  the  east,  which  might  be  found  to  ex- 
tend to  the  Atlantic.  He  seems  to  have  passed  the  Straits 
of  Juan  de  Fuca  without  observing  them  and  continuing 
northward  visited  Nootka  Sound,  where  such  important 
events  were  to  transpire  at  a  later  period,  Prince  William 
Sound  and  Cook's  Inlet.  After  searching  the  Arctic 
through  Behring  Straits,  he  began  the  homeward  voyage, 
having  demonstrated  the  impossibility  of  the  "  North 
West  Passage,"  touching  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where 
he  met  a  tragic  death  in  1779. 

Cook's  reports  of  his  voyage  renewed  the  activity  in 
northern  waters.  Spain's  claims  and  Great  Britain's 
claims  almost  brought  the  two  countries  to  war;  but 
events  transpired  at  Nootka  that  brought  the  rivalries  to 
a  climax  with  the  result  that  Captain  George  Vancouver, 
who  had  been  with  Cook,  arrived  at  Nootka  in  1792  as 
the  representative  of  his  government,  to  see  that  Great 
Britain's  demands  for  satisfaction  and  Spain's  promise 
to  pay  an  indemnity  were  successfully  carried  out,  which 


28  Sunset  Canada 


resulted  in  the  complete  restitution  of  "  British  rights  and 
property  "  under  the  terms  of  the  Nootka  Convention  of 
1790.  He  and  Captain  Quadra,  the  representative  of 
Spain,  could  not  agree  and  the  dispute  was  referred  back 
to  the  home  governments  for  a  settlement;  but,  in  the 
meantime,  the  ambitious  young  officer  of  Great  Britain 
undertook  another  commission  and  for  three  years  ex- 
plored and  surveyed  the  coastline,  which  resulted  in  the 
termination  of  Spanish  activity  in  northwest  Pacific  wa- 
ters. Vancouver  named  the  coasts  he  visited  "  New 
Georgia,"  "New  Hanover"  and  "New  Cornwall,"  but 
the  names  barely  survived  the  intrepid  young  officer, 
whose  charts  of  1798  give  the  first  accurate  representa- 
tions of  the  western  seaboard  of  Canada,  His  brief  life 
was  one  of  rare  accomplishments.  He  made  his  eventful 
voyages  and  discoveries  and  left  a  name  that  is  perpetu- 
ated in  the  land  of  his  activities  and  died  before  he  w^as 
forty  years  of  age. 

There  is  a  history  of  Vancouver  Island,  however,  that 
dates  far  beyond  the  coming  of  the  British,  the  Spanish, 
or  the  Russians,  who  may  have  followed  the  coast  from 
Alaska  at  an  early  date.  It  is  a  history  that  is  clouded 
in  the  vapour  and  incense  of  China  and  not  understood 
nor  accepted  as  "  authentic  "  by  the  present,  although  the 
not  far  distant  future  may  reveal  further  facts  that  can- 
not be  disputed,  even  by  the  white  race  which  clings  zeal- 
ously to  claims  of  "  superiority  "  in  discovery  and  inven- 
tion, although  it  may  be  conclusively  proved  that  much  of 
western  achievement  in  these  directions  was  merely  re- 
discovery and  adaptation  of  inventions  of  the  long  ago 
in  Old  Cathay, 

The  stranger,  or  the  "  native  ^'  of  Vancouver  Island 
quickly  and  constantly  observes  the  resemblance  of  the 


CAPTAIN    GEORGE    VANCOUVER. 


Island  of  Romance 29 

Indians  to  the  Chinese  or  Japanese.  The  traveler  un- 
acquainted with  the  two  would  be  unable  to  distinguish 
one  from  the  other  if  they  were  similarly  dressed.  In 
fact,  many  Indians  and  Chinese  resident  in  the  Island 
wear  semi-European  dress,  both  frequently  live  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  small  towns  in  shacks  or  huts  and  derive 
their  living  from  fishing.  The  Chinese  clings  to  his 
oriental  recipes  for  preparing  his  food,  because  he  has 
never  known  the  necessity  for  doing  otherwise.  The 
Vancouver  Island  Indian  prepares  food  according  to  the 
traditional  recipes  that  may  have  had  their  origin  in 
necessity  to  conditions.  Merely  circumstantial  evidence 
would  point  to  very  early  visits  of  Chinese  voyagers  to 
this  coast ;  whether  by  intent  on  voyages  of  discovery,  or 
in  ships  driven  across  the  Pacific  by  storms  is  a  matter  of 
speculation.  Chinese  junks  and  vessels  were  blown 
across  the  Pacific  as  late  as  the  last  century  and  the  sailors 
were  captured  and  enslaved  by  the  Indians  near  Fort 
Flattery,  resulting  in  a  demand  from  James  Douglas, 
governor  of  the  colony,  for  their  immediate  release,  when 
knowledge  of  their  tragic  experience  was  brought  to 
him. 

In  1 76 1  the  distinguished  Sinologist,  De  Guigues,  pub- 
lished a  paper  which  he  had  found  in  the  works  of  early 
Chinese  historians,  in  which  appeared  the  statement  that 
in  the  Fifth  Century  a.  d.  certain  travelers  of  their  race 
had  discovered  a  country  which  they  called  Fu-sang, 
which  from  the  direction  and  distance  described  by  them 
appears  to  have  been  northwest  America.  The  original 
document,  according  to  the  author  of  "  Fu-sang,  or  The 
Discovery  of  America  by  Chinese  Priests  in  the  Fifth 
Century,"  was  the  report  of  the  priest-missionary,  Hosi- 
Shin  in  the  year  499  a.  d.,  who  returned  from  a  long 


30  Sunset  Canada 


journey  to  the  East.  The  report  was  entered  in  the  Year 
Book  of  the  Chinese  Empire  and  the  French  author  de- 
clares that  while  the  evidence  offered  is  limited,  it  has 
every  appearance  of  being  a  serious  state  document. 

O.  S.  Scholefield,  provincial  librarian  and  historian  of 
British  Columbia,  says  in  regard  to  these  interesting  rec- 
ords :  "  They  open  a  fascinating  field  for  speculation 
and  while  they  do  not  establish  the  right  of  Chinese  to 
claim  the  discovery  for  their  race,  yet  the  chain  of  gen- 
eral and  presumptive  evidence  as  to  the  discovery  of  the 
continent  by  the  Norsemen  in  the  Eleventh  Century  is 
scarcely  stronger  than  the  evidence  contained  in  the  old 
Year  Books  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  touching  the  voy- 
age of  Hosi-Shin.  It  is  indeed  interesting,  if  not  start- 
ling, to  realize  that  perhaps  America  may  not  have  been 
found  by  Europeans  from  the  East,  but  by  Asiatics  from 
the  West." 

No  doubt  it  was  the  voyage  of  Captain  Cook  and  its 
subsequent  publicity  that  led  to  events  which  determined 
the  political  future  of  British  Columbia.  He  called  at- 
tention to  the  abundance  of  the  sea  otter  along  the  coast, 
and,  as  so  often  in  Canadian  history,  it  was  the  race  for 
the  fur  prize  that  prompted  many  other  traders  to  venture 
into  the  land  that  was  almost  unknown  to  the  world. 
Captain  John  Meares  commanded  an  expedition  from 
China  in  1788  that  established  a  trading  post  at  Nootka, 
which  had  been  discovered  by  Juan  Perez  as  early  as 
1779  and  named  Port  Lorenzo,  after  the  saint  on  whose 
day  it  was  first  seen.  Captain  Cook  either  forgot  or 
overlooked  the  previous  discovery  when  he  entered  the 
sound  a  few  years  later  and  rechristened  it  "  King 
George's  Sound,"  although  he  says  it  was  called  Nootka 
by  the  natives  —  which  was  doubtless  a  mistake  as  there 


.Mjink^i 

w.^«r'  ^n*'*       ^■*  '■  ^■■" '^^^^k!' 

F 

rry:yi!si^t^. 

r  ^   '^^^^1 

^^ 

TOTEMS  AND  DUG-OUT  CANOES,   NOOTKA   SOUND. 


Island  of  Romance  31 

is  no  such  word  in  the  language  of  the  Indians  there  and 
he  may  have  confused  their  word  Nootche  (mountain) 
for  the  name  of  the  place.  Captain  Meares,  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  trading  station,  became  the  first  white 
man  to  conduct  a  business  enterprise  in  British  Columbia, 
athough  the  scene  of  his  activity  is  well  nigh  deserted 
to-day.  Nootka  is  one  of  the  most  celebrated  spots  on 
the  continent,  when  it  is  recalled  what  momentous  events 
in  North  American  history  transpired  here;  but  it  re- 
mains little  more  than  a  fishing  village  and  the  Indian  is 
its  chief  inhabitant,  with  totems  set  out  in  his  yards,  and 
where  he  is  left  to  live  much  as  he  pleases.  Captain 
James  Hanna  came  to  Nootka  soon  after  Cook's  voyage 
in  the  Sea  Offer  and  made  such  a  memorable  haul  of  sea 
otter  skins  that  it  soon  became  a  rendezvous  for  traders, 
particularly  those  dealing  with  China,  where  the  skins 
were  a  prized  possession  and  brought  high  prices. 

By  the  aid  of  Chinese  carpenters,  Meares  built  the 
North  West  America  in  the  winter  of  1788-89,  this  sloop 
being  the  first  vessel  other  than  a  canoe  built  on  the 
Pacific  coast  north  of  California.  Things  were  prosper- 
ing famously.  The  English  and  American  traders  were 
sailing  from  Nootka  to  Macao,  the  Portuguese  possession 
in  southern  China  that  was  so  close  to  the  great  fur  mar- 
ket, and  the  trade  grew  to  such  proportions  that  Spain 
determined  to  assert  her  rights  of  original  discovery. 
Accordingly,  Don  Estevan  Martinez  took  possession  of 
the  whole  sound,  seizing  the  vessels  there  and  building  a 
fort  to  hold  the  territory  against  all  comers.  Meares' 
trading  post  was  raided  and  confiscated,  and  although 
he  had  been  sailing  under  the  Portugese  flag,  he  w^as  a 
British  subject  and  his  ship  was  a  British  vessel.  It  was 
England's  demand  for  an  indemnity  and  recognition  of 


32  Sunset  Canada 


her  "  rights  "  that  led  to  the  Spanish  withdrawal  from 
the  territory  and  the  mission  of  Captain  Vancoiwer  to 
the  Island,  which  it  is  believed  the  Captain  did  not  know 
was  an  island  until  his  second  voyage. 

Most  cordial  and  friendly  relations  seem  to  have 
existed  and  to  have  been  maintained  between  the  two 
representatives  of  the  British  and  Spanish  governments. 
In  a  letter  dated  from  Nootka  in  September,  1792,  Van- 
couver wrote:  "Next  morning  after  breakfast  we  em- 
barked on  our  return.  The  weather  was  pleasant  but  the 
wind  though  light  was  contrary.  The  afternoon  was 
cloudy  attended  by  some  rain,  thunder  and  lightning: 
about  5  o'clock  we  reached  Friendly  Cove,  having  dined 
by  the  way.  In  the  course  of  conversation  which  passed 
this  afternoon,  Sigr.  Quadra  requested  that  in  the  course 
of  my  farther  exploring  in  this  country  I  would  name 
some  port  or  island  after  us  both,  in  commemoration  of 
our  meeting  and  friendly  intercourse  that  on  that  occasion 
had  taken  place ;  which  I  promised  to  do ;  and  conceiving 
no  place  more  eligible  than  the  place  of  our  meeting,  I 
have  therefore  named  this  land  (which  by  our  sailing 
at  the  back  we  have  discovered  to  be  an  extensive  island ) , 
the  Island  of  Quadra  and  Vancouver:  which  compliment 
he  was  exceedingly  pleased  with,  as  also  my  retaining 
the  name  of  Port  Quadra  to  that  which  in  May  last  I 
had  called  Port  Discovery,  but  finding  it  had  been  ex- 
plored and  named  after  this  Officer,  I  had  since  adopted 
that  name." 

For  some  time  the  Island  was  variously  known  as  Qua- 
dra's Isle,  the  Island  of  Quadra  and  Vancouver  and 
finally  as  Vancouver's  Island;  but  finally  the  charts  and 
maps  came  to  refer  to  it  as  Vancouver  Island,  the  name 
it  will  doubtless  continue  to  bear,  although  an  official 


Island  of  Romance  33 

of  the  city  of  Victoria  assured  me  that  there  was 
a  definite  movement  on  foot  to  refer  to  it  simply  as 
The  Island,  with  no  reference  to  the  name  by  which 
a  populous  and  aspiring  young  municipality  across  the 
Straits  is  known.  "  It  is  unfair  and  too  much  to  ex- 
pect that  the  inhabitant  of  this  beautiful  island  shall 
mention  the  name  of  a  city  on  the  Mainland  every  time  he 
speaks  of  the  land  on  which  Victoria  is  situated,"  he  said. 
"  If  we  are  successful  in  our  undertaking  to  promote 
reference  to  Vancouver  Island  as  The  Island,  all  well  and 
good;  but  if  we  are  not  successful,  some  of  us  are  in 
favour  of  changing  the  name  back  to  that  of  the  Span- 
iard whom  Captain  George  Vancouver  delighted  to  hon- 
our by  linking  the  name  with  his  own.  Quadra  Island! 
I  believe  that  would  be  very  acceptable  to  the  people  of 
Victoria." 

Most  of  the  American  traders  between  Nootka  and 
Macao  came  from  Boston,  so  the  Indians  of  the  region 
called  the  American  trader  a  "  Boston  Man,"  while  the 
trader  of  another  nationality  was  known  as  a  "  Kint- 
shautsh  Man  " —  as  nearly  as  they  can  pronounce  "  King 
George's  Man." 

Before  and  after  the  difficulties  had  been  adjusted 
between  the  nations  involved,  there  were  constant  clashes 
between  the  white  and  the  red  men,  and  several  trag- 
edies resulted,  one  of  which  was  related  for  posterity  by 
its  hero,  whose  story,  which  is  believed  to  be  a  relation 
of  the  facts,  reads  like  a  hair-raising  fiction  of  the  Wild 
West,  so  many  of  which  were  published  in  the  last  cen- 
tury. 

John  Jewitt,  a  youth  of  nineteen  years  and  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  sailed  as  armourer  with  the  ship  Boston  from 
"  The  Downs,"  England,  direct  for  the  port  on  Van- 


34  Sunset  Canada 


couver  Island.  They  carried  a  cargo  of  "  English  cloths, 
Dutch  blankets,  looking-glasses,  beads,  knives,  razors, 
sugar,  rum,  ammunition,  cutlasses,  pistols,  muskets  and 
fowling-pieces."  After  an  uneventful  voyage  of  nearly 
seven  months  around  the  Horn,  the  vessel  arrived  at 
Nootka  and  anchored.  Maquinna,  the  Nootka  chieftain, 
came  aboard  the  ship  and  gave  the  crew  a  formal  wel- 
come. According  to  Jewitt,  he  was  dressed  in  "  a  man- 
tle of  black  sea  otter  skin,"  held  by  a  belt  of  yellow 
fabric  made  from  bark,  presumably  stripped  from  spruce 
roots,  from  which  the  Nootka  Indians  continue  to  make 
many  articles,  such  as  belts,  fishlines  and  baskets.  The 
savages  dined  with  the  crew  and  the  occasion  was  a 
merry  one,  which  seemed  prophetic  of  the  pleasant  rela- 
tions to  follow.  Jewitt  relates  that  on  this  occasion  the 
Indians  particularly  enjoyed  bread  dipped  in  molasses, 
for  which  they  offered  salmon  and  ducks  in  exchange. 
One  day  the  captain  of  the  ship  loaned  Maquinna  a  fowl- 
ing-piece. It  was  returned  in  a  damaged  condition, 
whereupon  the  owner  expressed  his  displeasure.  Ma- 
quinna became  enraged  but  retired  from  the  ship  and 
when  next  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  "  friends,"  he  wore  a 
wooden  mask,  the  head  of  a  wild  beast.  The  following 
day  a  general  massacre  followed  and  the  entire  crew  was 
slain,  with  the  exception  of  Jewett  and  a  sail-maker, 
John  Thompson.  The  two  men  became  slaves  of  the 
chieftain  and  remained  in  his  service  from  March,  1803, 
until  they  were  rescued  by  the  brig  Lydia  of  Boston  in 
July,  1805. 

Jewitt's  life  was  spared  because  of  his  skill  as  a  me- 
chanic, and  Thompson  survived  because  his  companion 
pleaded  that  he  was  his  father  and  begged  his  life  from 
the  chief.     While  serving  Maquinna  as  his  slave,  making 


Island  of  Romance 35 

arrow-heads,  spears  and  fish-hooks,  which  pleased  him, 
and  thus  having  become  a  favourite  at  "  court,"  Jewitt 
kept  a  journal.  It  was  published  in  1815  as  Adventures 
and  Sufferings  of  John  R.  lezvitt,  Only  Survivor  of  the 
Crew  of  the  Ship  Boston  During  a  Captivity  of  Nearly 
Three  Years  Among  the  Savages  of  Nootka  Sound,  and 
ran  through  many  editions  causing  wide  comment  and 
discussion  as  well  as  laying  the  foundation  for  many  leg- 
ends modeled  on  the  rescue  of  Captain  John  Smith  by 
Pocahontas.  Some  of  the  latter  may  have  arisen  from 
the  fact  that  Jewitt  was  compelled  by  Maquinna  to  marry 
the  daughter  of  a  neighbouring  Chief  A-i-tiz-zart.  In 
reality,  Jewitt's  story  as  he  relates  it  has  few  sentimental 
episodes  and  there  were  enough  stern  realities  to  provide 
thrilling  paragraphs  on  every  page  of  his  book.  His 
life  was  spared  by  almost  a  miracle,  considering  the  plot 
of  the  savages  and  their  determination  to  drive  away  all 
white  men  and  thus  terminate  all  relations  with  them. 
Almost  a  miracle  was  his  ability  to  live  according  to  the 
habits  of  his  captors,  which  was  demanded  of  him,  and 
his  escape  was  no  less  miraculous,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  able  to  tell  the  world  of  the  inhuman  treatment 
of  his  shipmates  by  the  treacherous  band  which  had  pro- 
fessed friendship. 

Jewitt  says  that  he  was  cleaning  muskets  in  the  steer- 
age when  he  heard  loud  voices  and  general  confusion  on 
deck,  so  he  ran  up  the  ladder  only  to  be  caught  by  the 
hair  of  the  head  as  he  was  emerging  from  the  hatchway, 
and  was  lifted  from  his  feet.  "  Fortunately  for  me," 
he  relates.  "  my  hair  being  short  and  the  ribbon  with 
which  it  was  tied  slipping,  I  fell  from  his  hold  into  the 
steerage.  As  I  was  falling,  he  struck  at  me  with  an  axe, 
which  cut  a  deep  gash  in  my  forehead  and  penetrated 


36  Sunset  Canada 


the  skull,  but  in  consequence  of  his  losing  his  hold,  I  luck- 
ily escaped  the  full  force  of  the  blow,  which  otherwise 
would  have  cleft  my  head  in  two." 

It  developed  that  he  was  merely  unconscious  when  his 
assailant  thought  him  dead,  and  when  he  showed  signs  of 
life  Chief  Maquinna  commanded  his  men  not  to  strike  at 
him  and  explained  that  the  captive  would  be  useful  to 
them  in  repairing  their  arms.  The  Chief  knew  enough 
of  English  to  make  himself  understood.  He  asked  Jew- 
itt  if  he  would  promise  to  be  his  slave  through  life,  if  he 
would  fight  his  battles,  repair  muskets  and  make  knives 
for  him,  if  he  would  spare  his  life.  Six  natives  with 
daggers  in  their  hands  stood  beside  him  to  back  up  his 
authority  of  granting  life  or  death.  After  Jewitt  had 
promised,  the  Chief  commanded  him  to  kiss  his  hands 
and  feet  as  a  sign  of  submission. 

There  was  a  joyous  home-coming  for  the  savages  who 
reached  the  shore  amid  loud  cheers  and  sat  down  to  a 
great  feast.  Jewitt's  wounds  were  tied  up  and  he  was 
obliged  to  endure  great  suffering  without  indicating  as 
much  to  the  Indians  who  must  think  him  "  brave,"  if  his 
life  was  to  be  spared.  He  says  that  as  they  sat  at  the 
feast,  the  Chief  ate  great  quantities  of  dried  clams  and 
train  oil  "  and  encouraged  me  to  follow  his  example,  tell- 
ing me  to  eat  much  and  take  a  great  deal  of  oil,  which 
would  make  me  strong  and  fat,"  although  the  food  was 
loathsome  to  him  and  nauseated  him.  In  later  days  all 
the  cargo  was  plundered  from  the  ship  and  much  of  it 
was  traded  to  Indians  of  other  tribes  who  came  from 
miles  away  when  they  heard  the  "  good  news  "  of  the 
massacre  of  the  white  men.  Much  of  the  clothing  was 
put  on  by  the  savages,  the  braves  frequently  appearing  in 
loose   women's   wrappers   and    feeling   that   they   were 


Island  of  Romance 37 

dressed  better  than  their  fellows  who  wore  skins  and 
furs. 

Jewitt  says  that  the  Indians  of  Vancouver  Island  were 
expert  fishermen  of  his  day,  as  they  are  at  the  present 
time.  He  made  them  iron  fish-hooks,  which  they  fancied, 
although  they  were  as  successful  with  the  hooks  which 
they  made  from  a  bearded  and  pointed  bone  bound  with 
whale  sinew,  while  their  lines  were  strong  cords  woven 
of  spruce  root  bark.  The  diary  of  unusual  adventures 
and  experiences  gives  much  valuable  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  ceremonies  and  conditions  of  life  of  the 
Nootka  natives  which  other  white  men  did  not  have  the 
opportunity  to  observe.  Captain  Cook  reported  that 
when  his  ship  entered  the  Sound  it  was  immediately  sur- 
rounded by  hundreds  of  canoes,  but  he  did  not  remain 
long  among  the  natives  and  sailed  away  to  spread  the 
news  of  what  he  had  encountered,  although  disappointed 
in  his  quest  of  the  Northwest  Passage.  Jewitt  con- 
versed with  the  Chief  who  declared  that  as  a  boy  he 
remembered  the  arrival  of  Captain  Cook  at  Nootka, 
when  the  natives  took  the  ships  for  "  monstrous  birds 
swimming  toward  them  with  wings  expanded."  On  ac- 
count of  the  fate  of  the  Boston  and  her  crew,  ships  re- 
mained away  from  Nootka  until  1805  when  the  brig 
Lydia  arrived,  and  by  strategy,  Jewitt  and  his  com- 
panion made  their  escape. 


CHAPTER  IV 

"  GENTLEMEN    ADVENTURERS  " 

In  these  later  days  it  is  amusing  to  think  of  the  scratch 
of  a  pen  by  which  Charles  II  signed  away  the  rights  of 
trade  and  possession  of  Canada,  when  he  wanted  to  do 
something  for  a  few  favourites  who  had  helped  him  back 
to  his  throne.  Prince  Rupert,  Albermarle,  Shaftsbury, 
the  Carteretts  and  a  few  others  became  "  The  Gentlemen 
Adventurers  of  England  Trading  on  Hudson's  Bay," 
and  the  King  having  not  the  remotest  idea  that  he  was 
giving  away  more  than  half  of  the  North  American 
continent  made  only  one  limitation  in  the  famous  charter 
of  1670  —  the  lands  must  be  those  not  already  claimed 
by  any  Christian  power.  Otherwise,  the  "  gentlemen  " 
were  at  liberty  to  send  their  ships  where  they  pleased  and 
their  representatives  in  Canada  became  clothed  with  im- 
perial authority,  because  they  not  only  made  the  laws, 
but  saw  to  it  that  they  were  obeyed.  The  "  clause  of  limi- 
ation  "  did  not  prevent  their  progress  when  men  of  other 
"  Christian  nations  "  were  found  to  be  in  the  field  ahead 
of  them.  The  company  had  been  chartered  as  Lords  of 
the  Outer  Marches  and  such  a  charter  and  such  privileges 
as  those  granted  were  not  of  a  kind  to  keep  the  company's 
agents  in  the  land  that  bordered  on  Hudson's  Bay.  They 
went  on  by  foot  and  by  canoe;  there  was  seemingly  no 
end  to  the  virgin  empire  which  in  reality  they  were  claim- 
ing for  England.  They  rewarded  whoever  was  of  assist- 
ance to  them  in  the  mighty  enterprise,  as  for  example,  a 


"  Gentlemen  Adventurers  *'  39 

cat-skin  counterpane  was  voted  to  the  Right  Honourable 
Earl  John  Churchill  (Marlborough)  for  whipping  "  those 
vermin,  those  enemies  of  all  mankind,  the  French,"  and 
when  King  Charles  and  the  Duke  of  York  petitioned 
France  to  forbid  interlopers,  "  two  pairs  of  beaver  stock- 
ings are  ordered  for  the  King  and  the  Duke  of  York  " 
and  the  company's  executive  committee  instructs  "  Sir 
James  Hayes  do  attend  His  Royal  Highness  at  Windsor 
and  present  him  his  dividend  in  gold  in  a  faire  embroid- 
ered purse."  The  great  thing  in  the  beginning  was  the 
dividend  and  it  was  often  the  wonder  of  the  financial 
world  at  the  time.  The  company  sometimes  sent  out 
thirty  or  forty  men  in  two  small  vessels  to  bring  home 
the  cargo  which  brought  as  high  as  $100,000,  and  after 
paying  all  expenses  there  v/as  a  clear  profit  of  fifty  per 
cent,  on  the  investment. 

There  were  periods  of  depression,  when  there  was 
trouble  with  the  French  "  vermin,"  but  these  were  fol- 
lowed by  periods  of  triumph  so  that  the  sales  for  a  single 
year  ran  close  to  the  half-million  mark.  The  number  of 
boats  and  men  was  increased;  instead  of  small  trading 
posts  where  furs  could  be  procured  from  the  Indians, 
strong  fortresses  were  built,  and  the  "  lands  bordering  on 
Hudson's  Bay,"  so  far  as  the  operations  of  the  "  Gentle- 
men Adventurers  "  were  concerned,  were  bordered  on 
the  west  by  the  Pacific  ocean  and  reached  from  Russian 
America,  now  known  as  Alaska,  to  Mexico  and  at  one 
time  reached  to  Hawaii,  as  a  convenient  stopping-place 
on  the  voyage  around  the  Horn  to  England.  Every 
share-holder  in  the  company  was  obliged  to  take  a  solemn 
oath :  "  I  doe  solemnly  sweare  to  bee  True  and  faithful 
to  ye  Govern'r  and  Comp'y  of  Adventurers  of  England 
Trading  into  Hudson's  Bay  and  to  my  power  will  sup- 


40  Sunset  Canada 


port  and  maintain  the  said  comp'y  and  privileges  of  ye 
same;  all  bye  laws  and  orders  not  repeated  which  have 
been  made  or  shall  be  made  by  ye  said  Govern' r  and  Com- 
pany I  will  to  my  best  knowledge  truly  observe  and  keepe ; 
ye  secrets  of  ye  said  company  which  shall  be  given  me  in 
charge  to  conceale,  I  will  not  disclose;  and  during  the 
joint  stock  of  ye  said  com'y  I  will  not  directly  nor  indi- 
rectly trade  to  ye  limits  of  ye  said  company's  charter 
without  leave  of  the  Govern'r,  the  Deputy  Govern'r  and 
committee,  So  help  me  God."  It  was  feudalism  trans- 
planted from  the  Old  World  to  the  American  continent, 
the  only  instance  in  which  it  has  survived  to  the  present 
day  —  obedience  of  every  servant  to  one  above  him,  the 
paddlers  of  canoes  to  the  one  w-ho  gave  the  order  of 
direction  for  the  cruise,  the  trader  to  the  chief  factor, 
the  latter  to  the  governor  and  the  governor  of  the  com- 
pany to  the  King.  Much  always  depended  on  royal 
favour,  and  this  seems  always  to  have  been  maintained. 
An  English  ruling  house  ran  its  course  and  a  new  family 
arrived  on  the  throne;  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
representatives  were  speedily  at  the  foot  of  the  throne 
renewing  the  ancient  bonds  that  linked  the  "  Gentlemen 
Adventurers  of  England  "  with  the  Sovereign. 

Naturally,  such  a  company  has  been  the  object  of  much 
condemnation,  ridicule  and  criticism;  but  it  seems  likely 
that  future  history  will  accord  the  company  its  full  share 
of  credit  in  gaining  another  bright  jewel  for  the  British 
diadem.  Profit  from  furs  was  primarily  the  force  that 
sent  men  in  canoes  up  unknown  rivers  and  among  un- 
known people  in  a  far-reaching  wilderness.  Others  fol- 
lowed these  path-makers,  found  gold  and  other  treasures 
that  prompted  an  influx  of  adventurers  which  resulted 
in  population  of  a  vast  region  that  might  otherwise  have 


BEGINNINGS  OF  VANCOUVER  ISLAND  TOWN. 


"  Gentlemen  Adventurers  " 41 

remained  a  wilderness  for  a  greater  length  of  time. 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  forts  became  the  centers  around 
which  villages,  towns  and  cities  were  built.  The  way  had 
been  paved  and  the  foundations  laid  by  trusted  servants 
of  the  king,  usually  with  great  profit  to  the  company, 
but  sometimes  with  great  losses,  as  for  example  the 
$500,000  expended  in  an  effort  to  find  the  North  West 
Passage  before  the  beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 
Even  at  the  present  time,  the  boats  of  the  company  ven- 
ture into  waters  that  are  visited  in  no  other  way;  the 
Hudson's  Bay  company  in  the  Twentieth  Century  car- 
ries the  lamp  of  civilization  into  quarters  not  otherwise 
reached  by  white  men.  Its  treatment  of  the  Indians,  con- 
cerning which  there  has  been  much  malicious  fiction  in 
the  last  two  centuries,  is  best  answered  by  asking  an 
Indian  of  the  wilderness:  "Who's  your  friend?"  as  I 
had  occasion  to  do  nearly  twenty  years  ago,  when  far 
north  of  what  were  considered  centers  of  civilization. 
The  red  man  will  invariably  reply :  "  Hudson's  Bay 
company  " —  and  the  red  man  does  not  forget  a  wrong 
to  himself  nor  to  his  fathers. 

Almost  a  library  of  books  has  been  written  about  the 
activities  of  the  company,  and  books  on  the  same  subject 
continue  to  come  from  the  presses  of  the  world.  A  com- 
missioner of  the  company  once  said  to  me:  "  Still  the 
story  has  never  yet  been  written  in  its  entirety;  no,  not 
even  in  some  of  its  essential  points."  I  believe  that  he 
might  revise  this  opinion,  however,  at  the  present  time, 
because  the  indefatigable  Agnes  C.  Laut  has  examined 
the  minute-books  of  the  company  in  London,  in  addition 
to  making  extensive  researches  elsewhere,  and  in  cap- 
tivating style  she  has  related  many  thrilling  chapters  in 
the  company's  history  that  seemed  to  be  overlooked  by 


42  Sunset  Canada 


previous  writers  who  sketched  the  exploits  and  adven- 
tures of  the  representatives  of  the  favourites  of  royalty 
who  entered  the  Canadian  wilderness  and  prepared  the 
way  for  the  glorious  present.  Her  volumes  The  Con- 
quest of  the  Great  Northwest,  Lords  of  the  North 
and  Pathfinders  of  the  West  contain  much  apparently 
authentic  material  put  down  in  graphic  style  and  having 
the  interest  of  fiction. 

In  1 82 1  the  Hudson's  Bay  company  divided  the  coun- 
try into  three  departments.  The  chief  depot  of  the  west- 
ern division  was  established  at  Vancouver  on  the  Colum- 
bia river.  Prior  to  the  conclusion  of  the  Oregon  Treaty, 
on  June  15,  1846,  which  fixed  the  boundary  line  between 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  the  company  antici- 
pated the  result  and  moved  the  western  depot  to  within 
British  territory.  The  present  site  of  Victoria  on  Van- 
couver Island  was  selected  by  the  company's  chief  factor, 
James  Douglas,  who  was  destined  to  play  an  important 
part  in  British  Columbia's  beginnings  as  a  colonial  pos- 
session of  Great  Britain.  The  depot  was  called  Fort 
Camosun,  the  Indian  name  of  the  place,  but  it  was  soon 
changed  to  Fort  Victoria  to  honour  England's  Queen. 
In  1849  ^  special  charter  was  granted  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  company  which  made  the  beautiful  island  the  largest 
of  the  archipelago  along  the  coast  —  two  hundred  eighty- 
six  miles  long  and  from  forty  to  eighty  miles  wide,  cov- 
ering an  area  of  twenty  thousand  square  miles  —  prac- 
tically a  company  possession.  As  usual,  however,  there 
was  the  "  saving  clause,"  which  stipulated  that  a  resident 
colony  should  be  formed  within  five  years,  subject  to 
revocation  of  the  grant  in  case  of  failure  and  reserving 
to  the  Crown  the  right  of  purchase  on  expiration  of  the 
charter.     In  the  same  year  Vancouver  Island  was  pro- 


"  Gentlemen  Adventurers  "  43 

claimed  a  British  colony,  the  first  to  be  established  in  the 
northwestern  region  of  America. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  company  had  received  reports  of 
vast  deposits  of  coal  in  the  Island,  so  for  this  and  other 
obvious  reasons  it  asked  the  home  government  for  an 
exclusive  monopoly.  Gladstone  argued  that  the  company 
wdiich  had  worked  under  a  charter  of  exclusive  monopoly 
for  two  hundred  years  and  had  done  little  or  nothing  in 
the  direction  of  colonization  had  proved  itself  an  in- 
competent colonizer.  But  the  company's  request  was 
granted.  One-tenth  of  the  land  sales  were  to  go  to  the 
company;  nine-tenths  were  to  go  toward  the  improve- 
ment of  the  land.  For  every  one  hundred  acres  at  five 
dollars  an  acre,  the  buyer  was  to  bring  to  the  Island  at 
his  own  expense  three  families  or  six  single  persons  — 
and  at  the  end  of  five  or  ten  years  the  government  might 
buy  the  Island  by  paying  to  the  company  what  it  had 
expended. 

In  185 1  James  Douglas  was  appointed  governor,  and 
upon  the  renewal  of  the  grant  of  Vancouver  Island  in 
1854  the  home  government  requested  him  to  establish 
representative  government  in  the  colony.  The  first  par- 
liament assembled  in  1856,  its  members  numbering  less 
than  a  dozen,  all  of  whom  were  connected  with  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  company  in  some  way.  A  writer  has  said  that 
"  while  settlement  was  the  pretense,  sovereignty  to  re- 
strict settlement  was  the  ulterior  object.  Fur  hunting 
did  not  prosper  in  communities  where  colonization  was 
encouraged.  But  the  events  that  followed  precipitated 
the  end  of  company  rule.  Gold  was  discovered  along 
the  Fraser  River  in  1856  or  1857,  the  exact  date  being  a 
matter  of  dispute.  Thousands  of  men  rushed  to  the  open 
port  of  Victoria.     It  brought  the  company's  monopoly 


44  Sunset  Canada 


of  trade  and  government  to  an  end  and  it  gave  birth  to 
the  two  independent  colonies  of  Vancouver  Island  and 
British  Columbia.  Events  moved  rapidly  after  the  com- 
ing of  the  gold-hunters  and  the  country  was  glowingly 
referred  to  by  Governor  Douglas  in  the  following  words : 
"  Self-supporting  and  defraying  all  the  expenses  of  its 
own  government,  it  presents  a  striking  contrast  to  every 
other  colony  in  the  British  Empire  and,  like  the  native 
pine  of  its  own  storm-beaten  promontories,  it  has  ac- 
quired a  slow,  but  hardy  growth."  Correct  perhaps,  save 
in  the  reference  to  the  speed  of  its  development. 

During  the  early  days,  the  Mainland,  later  to  be  known 
as  British  Columbia,  remained  Indian  territory  under  the 
control  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  In  1858  Gov- 
ernor Douglas  of  Vancouver  Island  was  made  governor 
of  the  Mainland  and  authorized  to  make  provision  for  its 
administration.  In  the  same  year  the  Hudson's  Bay 
company's  charter  for  exclusive  trading  with  the  Indians 
was  cancelled  and  new  officials  of  the  colony  were  sworn 
in  at  Fort  Langley.  The  rush  of  the  gold-hunters  up 
the  Eraser  valley  made  it  necessary  for  the  governor  to 
act  upon  his  own  initiative  in  many  matters,  which  as  a 
representative  of  the  company  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  doing  on  many  occasions.  For  example,  he  thought 
that  the  large  numbers  of  men  from  American  mining 
camps  might  become  a  menace  to  British  rule,  so  he  placed 
a  headtax  on  all  comers  from  the  United  States,  which 
implied  the  Queen's  authority,  and  in  this  rather  zealous 
move  he  was  not  upheld  by  the  home  government,  but  his 
acts  generally  were  confirmed  by  the  Secretary  for  the 
Colonies  in  London,  as  it  w^as  believed  that  he  had  acted 
wisely  in  the  new  country,  where  he  could  receive  no  ade- 
quate instructions  to  deal  with  the  unexpected  events 


"  Gentlemen  Adventurers  "  45 

that  transpired.  To  curb  the  "  lawless  "  element  and  to 
keep  a  better  check  on  the  gold  country,  Langley  was  at 
first  chosen  as  the  seat  of  the  Mainland  government, 
but  this  place  was  abandoned  in  favour  of  the  present  site 
of  New  Westminster. 

The  next  step  was  the  union  of  the  two  colonies,  which 
naturally  resulted  in  a  spirited  contest  as  to  which  city 
should  become  the  capital  of  the  new  province,  New 
Westminster  or  Victoria.  A  petition  for  union  was 
signed  by  four  hundred  fifty  persons.  In  the  Life  of 
Sir  James  Douglas  appears  the  following  summary  of 
these  events : 

"  In  the  end  the  British  government  decided  the  ques- 
tion, and  the  authority  of  the  executive  government  and 
council  of  British  Columbia  was  extended  over  Van- 
couver Island,  the  number  of  members  of  the  council 
being  increased  to  twenty-three.  The  customs  regula- 
tions of  the  Mainland  colony  were  likewise  extended  to 
the  island.  Other  ordinances  remained  for  a  time  as 
before.  The  original  authority  of  the  governor  to  make 
regulations  for  peace,  order  and  good  government  was 
not  restricted.  The  act  bore. date  of  August  6,  1866.  A 
short  time  after,  the  attorney  general  of  Vancouver  Island 
introduced  a  bill  for  assimilating  its  laws  with  those  of 
British  Columbia.  There  then  remained  only  the  ques- 
tion of  the  seat  of  government  —  a  rock  which  the  act 
of  union  had  discreetly  avoided.  Amid  the  violent  alter- 
cations of  partisans,  the  choice  fell  on  Victoria  and  though 
the  bitterness  of  the  defeat  rankled  long  on  the  Main- 
land, no  effort  subsequently  availed  to  secure  a  revision 
of  the  decision." 

Immediately  following  the  union,  came  advocacy  of 
Confederation  with  the  other  Canadian  states  into  a  con- 


46  Sunset  Canada 


solidation  of  the  whole  British  North  America.  Senti- 
ment on  Vancouver  Island  was  unfavourable  to  such  a 
move,  but  the  Mainland  was  almost  unanimously  in  its 
favour.  The  promise  to  link  the  province  with  the  rest 
of  Canada  by  overland  communication,  however,  was  the 
determining  factor.  On  July  7,  1870,  the  news  was  re- 
ceived from  Ottawa  that  terms  had  been  agreed  upon  and 
the  construction  of  the  trans-continental  railroad  had 
been  guaranteed.  The  provisions  ensured  that  the 
Dominion  assume  all  debts  and  liabilities  of  the  colony, 
several  "  operating  "  expenses,  a  fortnightly  steam  mail 
service  between  Victoria  and  San  Francisco,  a  weekly 
mail  service  with  Olympia  and,  most  important  of  all, 
the  railway  which  became  the  Canadian  Pacific,  uniting 
the  Pacific  seaboard  with  the  eastern  railway  system,  its 
construction  to  begin  within  two  years  of  the  date  of 
union.  There  were  the  inevitable  delays  in  beginning 
the  work  of  construction  and  many  arguments  were  ad- 
vanced for  the  abandonment  of  the  project.  It  was  said 
that  the  building  of  the  railway  was  into  a  territory 
"  where  nothing  will  grow  and  where  nobody  wants  to 
go,"  and  "  it  will  go  down  in  history  as  the  most  colossal 
blunder  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  " ;  but  the  wonderful 
system  was  built  at  a  cost  said  to  have  been  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  $300,000,000,  and,  although  the  contract 
called  for  ten  years'  work,  it  was  completed  in  five  years, 
and  in  1885  the  first  trains  crossed.  The  company  con- 
trols thousands  of  miles  of  railway,  telegraph  lines, 
builds  its  own  cars,  operates  over  fifty  steamers  on  Brit- 
ish Columbia  lakes  and  rivers,  and  is  said  to  have  ex- 
pended $25,000,000  on  the  most  remarkable  string  of 
hotels  in  existence,  reaching  from  New  Brunswick  to 
Vancouver  Island. 


"  Gentlemen  Adventurers  " 47 

And  with  the  opening'  of  railway  connection  with  the 
East  began  British  Columbia's  great  era  of  prosperity 
through  which  it  is  still  passing.  Instead  of  it  being  a 
region  "  where  nobody  wants  to  go,"  it  is  invaded  by 
tens  of  thousands  of  tourists  every  year,  and  indications 
are  that  the  number  will  soon  become  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands, because  it  is  one  of  the  great  natural  recreation 
fields  of  the  earth,  and  the  time  is  approaching  when 
one  who  has  not  visited  it  may  not  claim  to  have  "  trav- 
eled." The  tour  through  the  Canadian  Rockies  is  com- 
ing to  be  what  a  visit  was  to  Switzerland  in  our  father's 
day;  the  difference  being  that  thousands  who  come  to 
look  and  remain  but  a  couple  of  weeks,  decide  to  make 
their  permanent  homes  in  the  magic  land  of  sunset. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   ISLAND   HIGHWAY 

There  are  several  routes  by  which  a  traveler  may 
reach  the  attractive  interior  of  Vancouver  Island  with  the 
greatest  ease;  in  fact,  with  the  comforts  that  are  possible 
in  going  from  New  York  to  Boston,  although  it  appears 
that  not  enough  people  know  about  it.  Perhaps  the  usual 
traveler  knows  that  there  is  "  some  sort  of  a  railway 
running  somewhere  outside  of  Victoria  "  ;  but  the  major- 
ity of  strangers  who  enter  the  port  are  so  pleased  with 
the  city  and  its  immediate  environs  that  they  make  no  in- 
quiries about  going  further  inland.  I  have  heard  visitors 
lately  returned  from  Victoria  praise  the  city  very  highly, 
and  then  not  knowing  anything  about  it  advise  others  to 
plan  to  stay  there  only  a  few  days,  "  because  in  that 
time  you  can  see  everything."  I  have  heard  Mainland 
booking  agents  advise  much  the  same  thing.  So  it  fre- 
quently happens  that  the  newcomer  does  not  hear  about 
anything  excepting  the  capital  city  on  the  Island,  or  he 
hears  too  late,  and  after  a  pleasant  sojourn  of  several 
days  in  the  principal  city  imagines  that  he  has  "  seen 
everything."  This  was  my  experience  during  several 
visits  to  Victoria  and  I  know  that  it  has  been  the  experi- 
ence of  many  others.  After  I  had  returned  from  the  in- 
land tour  it  seemed  that  something  had  been  held  back 
from  me  in  the  past,  for  it  was  one  of  the  "  prize  pack- 
ages "  in  the  entire  British  Columbia  tour.  It  seemed 
almost  that  it  had  been  reserv^ed  for  the  "  discriminating 
few,"  for  they  were  there  enjoying  themselves  in  full 

48 


The  Island  Highway  49 

measure  while  the  rest  of  the  world  was  passing  its 
way,  not  exactly  unmindful,  but  in  absolute  ignorance  of 
what  it  was  missing. 

I  mentioned  the  matter  to  an  official  of  the  Island  and 
his  reply  was  to  place  in  my  hands  several  attractively 
printed  folders  and  leaflets  that  told  of  the  inland  jour- 
neys. There  were  reproductions  of  photographs  that 
showed  lakes,  mountains,  rivers  and  fishermen  standing 
proudly  beside  huge  strings  of  fish,  which  cutlines  de- 
clared represented  "  One  Day's  Catch."  But  even  these 
advertisements  failed  to  present  the  subject  adequately, 
and  it  seemed  certain  that  the  leaflets  and  folders  never 
reached  the  hands  for  which  they  were  intended.  "  Tour- 
ists are  making  the  inland  journey  more  and  more  every 
year,"  said  the  official,  and  he  seemed  to  be  satisfied.  But 
I  still  felt  a  sting  of  resentment  for  never  having  made 
the  little  journey  before;  and  for  the  knowledge  that  it 
was  generally  overlooked  by  most  of  the  tourists  who 
came  to  see  as  much  of  British  Columbia  and  its  beauties 
as  they  were  able  to  see  in  a  given  length  of  time.  And 
now  I  have  my  "  revenge  "  by  telling  every  one  who 
chances  to  read  this  page  that  in  the  province  there  is  no 
more  fascinating  territory  for  a  "  side-trip  "  of  a  few 
days  than  this  inland  journey.  It  is  not  a  virgin  field  for 
the  traveler;  others  have  been  there  in  large  numbers. 
The  inns  are  prepared  to  entertain  those  who  come  in  a 
cozy,  home-like  fashion,  and  they  have  room  for  all  who 
are  likely  to  visit  them  in  the  immediate  future ;  but  the 
Island  from  one  end  to  the  other  has  not  been  "  spoiled  " 
by  routine  tourists  who  rush  from  place  to  place,  hesitat- 
ing between  trains  for  a  glance  at  the  "  principal  attrac- 
tion," a  few  meals  and  a  room  or  suite  of  rooms  at  the 
leading  hotel.     Upper  Vancouver  Island  is  still   what 


50  Sunset  Canada 


most  easterners  consider  "  wild."  There  are  many  fine 
homes  in  the  towns  and  cities,  where  the  stumps  have 
not  been  removed  from  front  door  yards,  A  ten-minute 
walk  from  the  center  of  some  of  these  towns  brings  one 
into  the  "  bush  "  that  is  as  tangled  and  overgrown  with 
luxuriant  foliage  as  it  was  centuries  ago.  The  wood- 
man's ax  is  at  work  and  he  is  clearing  more  and  more 
of  the  land  to  adapt  it  to  his  use,  as  the  days  pass,  but 
there  are  still  vast  reaches  where  the  ax  has  not  been 
heard,  mountains  capped  with  snow  that  have  been  barely 
prospected  by  men  who  venture  far  from  the  populated 
districts  in  search  of  mineral  treasure,  of  which  the  Island 
has  given  its  share  to  the  world.  There  are  beautiful 
mountain  lakes  with  fish  waiting  to  be  caught,  but  few 
fishermen  visit  them  each  season.  There  is  a  frankness 
noticeable  and  commendable  in  the  people  who  are  tam- 
ing this  wilderness  to  their  needs  and  requirements.  It 
has  not  the  savage  grandeur  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  dis- 
tricts of  the  Mainland ;  but  it  has  a  distinctive  beauty  all 
its  own,  which  is  perhaps  the  more  beautiful  by  contrast 
in  the  British  Columbia  tour. 

And  it  is  all  to  be  seen  and  appreciated  with  so  little 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  spectator!  It  is  true  that  he 
may  make  the  Island  trip  as  strenuous  as  he  desires  it  to 
be.  There  are  trails  into  almost  unknown  regions  and 
there  are  vast  districts  that  have  no  trails.  There  are 
mountains  that  are  the  delight  of  amateur  climbers,  and 
there  are  great  areas  where  one  may  pitch  his  tent  for 
many  days  with  not  the  slightest  probability  of  coming 
upon  human  beings.  There  is  plenty  of  big  game,  some 
of  which  is  shy  of  the  gunner  and  some  which  likes  to 
give  him  a  desperate  battle.  One  making  an  automobile 
journey  over  the  Island  Highway  at  sunset  will  some- 


The  Island  Highway  51 

times  see  from  a  dozen  to  twenty  deer  timidly  peeping  at 
him  from  behind  the  green  foilage  that  borders  the  road- 
way. Those  who  chmb  far  up  into  the  hills  may  meet 
the  black  bear  or  the  cougar,  both  of  which  in  times  when 
food  was  scarce  have  ventured  into  the  dooryards  of 
residents  of  the  principal  towns.  In  short,  Vancouver 
Island,  when  properly  visited,  seems  to  be  British  Co- 
lumbia in  miniature  and  in  gentler  mold.  Whatever 
reaches  the  apex  of  bewilderment  on  the  Mainland  is  here 
in  a  lesser  degree,  as  if  suggestive  of  what  is  to  come  in 
the  faithful  pilgrim's  itinerary.  And  one  may  reach  most 
of  it  in  the  seat  of  an  automobile,  view  it  from  the  win- 
dow of  a  parlour  car  on  the  railway,  or  from  the  deck  of  a 
steamer,  which  last  makes  a  complete  circuit  of  the  Island, 
entering  ports  that  are  barely  known  by  name  to  the  out- 
side world,  and  sometimes  pointing  its  bow  into  long  in- 
lets or  fjords  which  almost  cut  the  Island  in  two. 

Perhaps  it  is  preferable  to  make  the  inland  tour  from 
Victoria  to  Port  Alberni  (134  miles)  or  to  Courtenay 
(140  miles)  by  automobile,  at  least  in  one  direction,  re- 
turning by  rail.  The  excellent  motor  road,  which  will 
ultimately  become  the  western  terminus  of  the  trans- 
Canada  route,  parallels  the  railroad  much  of  the  w^ay,  but 
as  a  rule  lies  lower  in  the  valleys  and  commands  a  more 
intimate  view  of  the  scenery  through  which  it  passes, 
while  the  rails,  often  spiral  along  mountainsides,  and  the 
car  window  commands  a  more  distant  view  of  mountain 
peaks,  as  it  shoots  along  through  century-old  fir  trees, 
which  are  claimed  to  be  "  unequalled  by  any  trees  occupy- 
ing corresponding  latitudes  in  other  countries."  It  may 
be  more  convenient  for  the  majority  of  travelers  who 
do  not  bring  their  own  cars  with  them,  unaware  as  the 
world  seems  to  be  of  the  excellence  of  roads  in  many  parts 


52  Sunset  Canada 


of  the  province,  to  make  the  entire  journey  by  rail.  It 
is  a  trip  that  offers  many  of  the  thrills  of  the  ride  from 
Lucerne,  Switzerland,  to  Milan,  Italy,  with  very  few  of 
the  obnoxious  tunnels  which  detract  from  the  pleasure  of 
any  train  ride,  w-here  one  finds  delight  in  the  scenery  and 
dislikes  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  beautiful  landscape  only 
to  be  plunged  into  the  darkness  of  a  hill. 

From  the  start  to  the  end  of  the  trip  one  observes  the 
same  cosmopolitanism  that  was  apparent  in  Victoria. 
Far  out  on  the  country  roads  the  Chinese  are  seen  trudg- 
ing with  bamboo  poles  over  their  shoulders.  At  the  log- 
ging camps  or  sawmills  one  sees  the  picturesque  and 
gaudy  turbans  of  the  Hindoos,  who  are  more  fortunate 
than  their  brethren  of  India,  who  desire  to  come  to  this 
country  of  promise,  but  failed  to  do  so  when  the  special 
dispensation  was  offered  for  workers  on  the  trans-conti- 
nental railway  at  the  time  of  construction,  and  now  learn 
that  it  is  too  late,  that  Canada  must  remain  a  "  w-hite 
man's  country,"  There  are  Italians,  Swedes,  Norwe- 
gians, Portuguese  and  Spaniards,  all  more  or  less  distinc- 
tive amid  the  British  population.  All  came  in  the  first 
instance  for  the  same  reason,  or  with  a  few  notable  ex- 
ceptions this  is  true.  They  like  the  free  life  of  the  wilds, 
and  in  bettering  their  condition  they  are  glad  to  work 
diligently,  holding  on  to  the  roseate  prospects  for  the 
future  —  at  least  for  the  future  of  their  children  who 
are  receiving  what  they  could  not  have  received  at  home. 
There  are  a  few  Englishmen  who  came  because  they  pre- 
fer to  spend  their  years  of  retirement  in  the  locality  that 
pleased  them  from  the  report  of  others,  or  when  they 
saw  it  during  a  tour  of  British  dominions  it  pleased  them 
more  than  any  other  place  they  had  seen.  The  homes  of 
some  of  the  latter  are  miniatures  of  English  country  resi- 


'.re  more  fortunate 
'jc.sire  to  come  to  tr.is 
do  so  when  the  spec  ial 
on  the  t:. 


Douglas  Fir,  on  Island  Highway. 


ers,  or  ^ 


The  Island  Highway 53 

dences.  At  least,  there  is  one  large  room,  the  floors  of 
which  are  covered  with  bear-skin  rugs  and  the  walls  are 
decorated  with  deer,  elk  and  moose  heads  with  spreading 
antlers.  There  is  a  large  fireplace  in  which  logs  crackle 
and  my  English  gentleman  seems  to  be  thoroughly  enjoy- 
ing himself  in  an  atmosphere  of  a  century  ago  —  with 
the  exception  that  he  reads  by  electric  lights,  for  the 
people  of  Vancouver  Island  have  learned  how  to  harness 
the  waterfalls  that  splash  over  almost  every  hill,  and 
doubtless  the  house  is  heated  by  steam,  the  fireplace 
being  more  of  an  ornament  and  luxury  than  necessity. 
It  is  a  beautiful  life  in  the  primeval  woods  for  one  who 
knows  how  to  enjoy  it ;  and  there  are  enough  who  do  to 
set  a  worthy  example  to  the  colonists  who  dream  of  the 
day  when  their  land  of  promise  will  enable  them  to  live 
in  the  same  way. 

As  the  train  leaves  the  queer  little  station  on  the  water- 
front, it  seems  as  if  one  were  starting  on  a  boat  journey, 
for  it  circles  around  bridges,  over  the  Inlet,  and  seems  to 
be  gliding  on  the  water.  Almost  immediately,  the  train 
plunges  between  the  rocks  and  begins  its  climb,  spiraling  a 
big  hill.  Immediately  it  enters  great  forests  of  Douglas 
fir  (named  for  the  botanist  and  not  for  the  governor) 
the  huge  tree  that  is  the  pride  of  the  Island.  Such  great 
shafts  of  timber  with  barely  a  limb  until  they  have  reached 
the  height  of  perhaps  two  hundred  feet,  then  breaking  into 
myrtle  green  plumes  like  a  small  umbrella  at  the  top  of  a 
lengthy  pole!  Early  in  the  trip  they  wave  their  fronds 
high  above  the  train ;  but  as  the  train  climbs,  leaving  the 
trunks  of  the  trees  in  the  valley,  they  shoot  their  tops 
beside  the  car  windows.  Soon  one  looks  through  the 
fragrant  screen  of  green  and  sees  blue  lakes  filling  the 
canyons  below,  or  rushing  streams  that  our  fellow  trav- 


54  Sunset  Canada 


elers  equipped  with  all  sorts  of  tackle,  say  are  the  abid- 
ing-places of  trout  of  actual  weight  that  make  all  fisher- 
men hereabouts  appear  to  be  boasters  —  or  worse  —  when 
they  relate  past  experiences  in  the  same  streams. 

One's  suggestion  to  the  tourist  who  can  arrange  his 
own  time  is  to  plan  to  make  this  trip  in  the  last  days  of 
May  or  in  June,  when  the  foliage  of  the  hills  is  taking 
on  the  rank  green  of  spring  —  although  autumn  is  said 
to  offer  a  picture  as  diverting  with  the  sprays  of  colour- 
ing foliage  against  the  green.  The  trees,  however,  are 
mostly  fir  or  cedar  and  in  the  spring  a  frequent  tall 
dogwood  bursts  a  mass  of  white  bloom  in  the  high  arches 
of  green.  Along  the  clearing  at  the  trackside  the  grass 
is  splotched  with  masses  of  white  or  pink  "  English  " 
daisies,  wild  columbine  and  whole  banks  of  flowering  wild 
strawberries. 

The  morning  train  from  Victoria  —  and  all  trains 
start  in  the  morning  —  soon  reaches  Esquimault,  which 
probably  would  have  been  the  capital  of  the  Island  and 
Province  if  the  Hudson's  Bay  chief  factor  had  dreamed 
of  the  city's  future  importance,  when  he  located  a  fort 
at  the  southern  tip  of  the  Island.  For  many  years  the 
harbour  of  Esquimault  was  Great  Britain's  only  naval 
station  on  the  Pacific  coast  and  it  is  now  the  base  of  the 
Canadian  and  Imperial  navies.  There  is  a  large  dry  dock 
here,  and  one  of  the  largest  docks  in  the  world  is  in 
prospect  for  construction  at  an  early  date.  It  is  a  quaint 
and  interesting  place  with  the  atmosphere  of  "  official- 
dom "  about  it  and  is  well  worth  a  visit.  It  is  easily 
reached  by  tramway  from  Victoria  and  therefore  unnec- 
essary to  come  by  train. 

The  train  makes  a  rather  meandering  and  slow  climb 
to  Shawnigan  Lake,  a  distance  of  twenty-eight  miles. 


The  Island  Highway  55 

The  lake,  which  bears  an  Indian  name,  is  a  popular  and 
conveniently  reached  resort  during  the  shooting  and  fish- 
ing seasons.  It  is  five  miles  long,  winding  like  a  river  in 
a  basin  of  tall  green  hills,  and  at  the  train  platform  is  the 
entrance  of  Strathcona  Lodge,  a  pretty  little  hotel  set  in 
rustic-fenced  gardens.  Motorists  who  visit  the  lake  and 
return  to  Victoria  may  do  so  by  way  of  Sooke  Lake. 

Several  small  towns  are  scattered  along  the  railway 
beyond  the  lake,  but  there  are  vast  stretches  of  timber- 
land  with  no  suggestion  of  a  habitation,  save  the  deserted 
shacks  of  the  construction  gang  or  lumber  jacks.  Some 
idea  of  the  amount  of  unsettled  land  may  be  gained  from 
the  statement  that  the  railway  still  has  over  one  mil- 
lion acres  unsold.  Duncan  is  a  little  agricultural  center, 
where  dairying  is  a  specialty.  Crofton,  Chemainus, 
Ladysmith!  The  train  rolls  along  and  in  watching  the 
name-boards  on  the  stations  one  detects  sometimes  a  rec- 
ollection of  "  the  old  home,"  as  well  as  an  adoption  or 
adaptation  of  the  local  Indian  name. 

Nanaimo,  the  Coal  City,  which  claims  a  population  of 
ten  thousand,  has  twice-daily  steamer  service  with  Van- 
couver, the  crossing  being  much  shorter  than  by  the 
Victoria-Vancouver  route  of  slightly  over  eighty  miles. 
The  city  is  one  of  the  oldest  on  the  island,  a  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  post  having  been  located  here  and  the  coal 
mines  having  been  worked  to  some  extent  since  1850, 
when  they  were  discovered  through  the  help  of  the  In- 
dians. In  the  district  vast  fortunes  have  been  made 
from  the  industry,  but  they  were  not  spent  there.  It  is 
a  somewhat  uninteresting  place  having  the  combined 
qualities  of  a  mining  town  and  a  port.  It  was  to  this 
district  that  young  Robert  Dunsmuir  came  as  a  coal  ex- 
pert  from   Scotland.     He   remained  in  the  employ   of 


56  Sunset  Canada 


others  for  a  number  of  years,  but  in  his  explorations  for 
himself  he  discovered  rich  veins  of  coal  that  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  the  Dunsmuir  millions.  In  the  early  days  he 
had  several  partners,  the  conditions  being  that  he  own 
one-half  the  mine  and  have  complete  control  of  the  oper- 
ations. In  time  he  was  able  to  buy  out  all  his  asso- 
ciates, the  last  being  Lieutenant  Diggles,  to  whom  he 
gave  his  personal  check  for  $800,000  in  settlement  of  all 
claims.  His  properties  eventually  made  him  the  richest 
man  in  the  province,  perhaps  in  the  Dominion.  Natu- 
rally, he  became  a  man  of  great  influence  in  British  Co- 
lumbia and  there  was  barely  an  enterprise  of  any  magni- 
tude in  the  province  in  which  he  was  not  financially  in- 
terested. He  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  proposed 
Canadian  Western  railway,  to  which  the  provincial  legis- 
lature granted  a  charter  and  a  subsidy  of  about  fourteen 
million  acres  of  land. 

The  train  arrives  at  Parksville  Junction  for  lunch, 
where  one  may  have  the  experience  of  what  might  be 
called  de  luxe  roughing  it.  He  is  traveling  on  a  parlour 
car,  but  the  railway  has  not  yet  reached  the  point  of 
offering  its  patrons  dining-car  service,  so  all  passengers 
rush  to  the  eating-room  of  the  little  station,  climb  to  the 
tops  of  high  stools  and  sit  around  the  counter,  while 
nattily  dressed  young  ladies  pour  coffee  or  tea  and 
recite  a  long  menu  which  sounds  something  like  —  "  ham 
sandwiches,  egg  sandwiches,  cress  sandwiches,  lettuce 
sandwiches,  beef  sandwiches,  sardine  sandwiches  —  or 
pie."  And  such  pie !  It  is  of  that  almost  gold-leaf  flak- 
iness  that  makes  one  feel  that  the  Canadian  Pacific  rail- 
way is  having  its  little  joke  and  serving  better  pie  at  the 
Parksville  Junction  station  than  in  its  magnificent  hostel- 
ries  at  better  known  stopping  places  across  the  country. 


The  Island  Highway 57 

And  the  station  agent  at  Parksville  Junction  must  be 
an  artist,  proving  his  love  of  the  beautiful  in  this  out-of- 
the-way  corner  of  the  world  in  a  practical  manner,  where 
perhaps  his  example  will  have  a  better  effect  than  if  he 
were  a  rich  man  in  the  city  who  built  a  beautiful  park 
and  permitted  the  public  to  saunter  through  its  walks 
and  enjoy  the  old  masters'  marbles  set  up  by  formal  lake 
or  fountain.  The  Junction  is  located  in  a  dense  forest 
of  Douglas  fir,  which  looks  as  if  it  had  never  known  the 
tread  of  man.  There  is  a  small  clearing  at  the  railway 
tracks  and  a  small  plot  at  each  end  of  the  station.  This 
has  been  enclosed  by  an  ornamental  fence  made  of  white 
birch  limbs  woven  and  twisted  into  fantastic  designs.  In- 
side the  railing  there  is  a  grass  plot,  a  teahouse,  tables 
and  benches  of  birch  like  the  fence  —  and,  when  I  passed, 
there  was  a  bed  of  tulips  in  full  bloom !  Tea  in  this  little 
garden  in  the  wilderness,  a  sandwich  and  the  never-to- 
be-forgotten  pie  was  the  temptation  that  drew  us  away 
from  the  more  substantial  meal  at  the  counter  and  high 
stools. 

The  rails  part  and  one  branch  leads  to  Oualicum  Beach, 
where  there  is  a  beautiful  white  strand  two  miles  in 
length  and  where  the  surf  rolls  high,  where  there  is  a 
sheltering  cove  for  yachting,  a  golf  course  and  a  hotel. 
In  a  short  time  the  rails  will  extend  up  this  branch  to 
Campbell  River,  which  is  already  a  fisherman's  para- 
dise and  the  gateway  to  Strathcona  Park,  which  is  not 
yet  "  formally  "  open  to  the  public,  but  which  is  already 
an  ideal  retreat  for  a  camping  tour.  Towering  moun- 
tains, of  which  Mount  Victoria  is  the  highest  (7,500 
feet),  are  in  this  district  and  much  else  that  will  delight 
the  eyes  of  all  who  venture  so  far  off  the  main  highway 
of  travel. 


58  Sunset  Canada 


The  entire  Dominion  of  Canada  has  made  remarkable 
strides  in  selecting  natural  beauty  spots,  of  preserving 
them,  and  building  roads  and  trails  which  make  them 
available  to  travelers.  Having  many  of  the  scenic  won- 
ders of  the  continent  within  its  bordens,  British  Colum- 
bia has  many  large  areas  already  set  apart  and  improved 
and  they  are  becoming  a  great  asset  to  the  province  as 
well  as  a  joy  to  an  ever  increasing  number  of  travelers. 
On  this  subject  Richard  Watrous  of  the  American  Civic 
Association  says :  "  Canada  has  been  ahead  of  us  on  the 
national  park  proposition  in  every  respect  —  in  almost 
every  respect.  I  am  going  to  say,  first  of  all,  that  that 
was  best  illustrated  when  the  great  drift  of  travel  from 
the  East  to  the  West  on  account  of  the  expositions  at 
San  Francisco  and  San  Diego  brought  out  the  fact  that 
the  Canadian  National  Parks,  because  of  their  exploita- 
tion, and  because  of  the  things  that  have  been  done  to 
make  them  ready  for  the  comfort  and  convenience  and 
safety  of  the  tourists,  drew  the  great,  wholesale  travel 
—  I  learned  on  very  good  authority  that  of  the  travel 
which  went  West  about  75  per  cent,  was  routed  either 
going  or  returning  by  Canadian  railroad  systems." 

Robert  Sterling  Yard  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
Washington,  referring  to  the  Canadian  mountains  says: 
"  till  then  in  this  country  every  man,  woman  and  child 
has  been  brought  up  to  the  belief  that  the  greatest  scenery 
of  the  world  was  in  Switzerland,  and  now  in  the  last  few 
years,  they  have  also  added  the  Canadian  Rockies.  That 
is  the  great  word  in  this  country  to-day  —  the  Canadian 
Rockies." 

The  European  war  delayed  the  final  preparations  for 
opening  Strathcona  Park,  and  it  may  be  some  time  before 
it  is  ready  to  accommodate  travelers  who  do  not  care  for 


The  Island  Highway 59 

camping,  but  a  motor  road  through  to  the  entrance  from 
Victoria  will  one  day  take  visitors  to  this  wonderland, 
where  now  it  is  necessary  to  proceed  on  horseback. 
There  are  a  few  cabins,  with  stoves  and  bunks  along  the 
trail  going  into  the  park  at  Goose  Neck  Lake ;  and  these, 
together  with  "  Packers'  Cabin  "  just  above  the  lower  end 
of  Upper  Campbell  Lake,  can  be  utilized  by  travelers. 
It  will  be  a  thrilling  lifetime  memory  to  recall  such  an 
experience.  No  "  tame  cat  "  vacation  through  a  well- 
groomed  National  Park  will  ever  compare  with  it.  In 
addition  to  the  direct  trip  into  the  Park  itself,  a  de- 
lightful and  easy  trip  is  afforded  by  taking  a  motor  car 
up  to  either  Campbell  River  or  to  lower  Campbell  Lake 
at  Forbes'  Landing.  All  the  superb  scenery  from  Vic- 
toria north  to  these  points  will  be  seen  along  the  road. 
Between  Forbes'  Landing  and  Buttle  Lake  there  are  good 
camping  sites  at  Echo  and  Mirror  Lakes,  and  good  trout 
fishing  is  obtainable  almost  everywhere.  Visitors  start- 
ing from  Victoria  will  see  the  famous  Malahat  Drive 
among  other  beauties. 

The  trip  into  Strathcona  Park  from  Campbell  River 
takes  the  visitors  to  Mclvor  Lake  and  thence  to  Forbes' 
Landing  at  Lower  Campbell  Lake  by  automobile,  where 
pack  horses  brought  on  from  Campbell  River  may  be 
taken  unless  visitors  decide  to  walk  up  the  trail,  about 
twenty-two  miles  to  the  lower  end  of  Buttle  Lake,  break- 
ing the  journey  at  the  Packers'  Cabin.  There  is  a  sleep- 
ing cabin  at  Buttle  Lake  which  will  accommodate  twenty- 
six  persons,  a  stove  and  a  special  room  for  ladies  being 
included.  A  man  is  in  charge  of  this  cabin  for  the 
months  of  June,  July  and  August. 

There  are  a  number  of  creeks  and  rivers  entering  Buttle 
Lake  which  afford  splendid  fishing  at  their  mouths,  par- 


60  Sunset  Canada 


ticularly  the  mouth  of  Wolf  Creek,  PhilHp  Creek,  Myra 
River,  the  first  bay  on  the  west  side  of  Buttle  Lake  and 
other  points.  There  are  a  few  boats  belonging  to  the 
provincial  government  stored  at  Buttle  Lake,  and  there  is 
a  keeper  in  charge  of  these  who  will  give  the  use  of  them 
to  responsible  parties.  Such  parties  should  obtain  from 
the  Minister  of  Public  Works  a  permit  to  use  these  boats 
before  leaving  Victoria.  Such  permits  are  directed  to  the 
man  in  charge.  To  prevent  disappointment,  however, 
in  the  event  of  the  visitors  finding  the  boats  in  use  when 
they  arrive,  the  precaution  of  taking  canoes  or  boats  in, 
together  with  suitable  motors  is  urgently  advised  by 
the  officials.  Horses  and  guides  can  be  obtained  at 
Campbell  River  or  Forbes'  Landing  at  Lower  Campbell 
Lake. 

Shooting  is  forbidden  inside  the  park  limits,  but  per- 
mission to  take  along  a  rifle  or  revolver  can  be  secured  by 
application  to  the  Minister  of  Public  Works.  Trout  in 
the  district  readily  take  the  regulation  flies  used  by 
anglers.  The  best  month  for  sea  trout  is  June  and  the 
Campbell  River  at  and  near  its  mouth  affords  splendid 
sea  trout  fishing.  June,  July,  August  and  September 
provide  trout  fishing  and  August  and  September  are  the 
best  months  for  the  big  tyee  or  spring  salmon  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Campbell  River.  September  gives  the  cohoe 
salmon  fishing,  and  while  these  fish  do  not  run  nearly  as 
large  as  the  spring  salmon,  they  are  very  gamy  and  give 
excellent  sport. 

The  following  calendar  for  fishing  and  shooting  on 
Vancouver  Island  has  been  tabulated  by  a  provincial 
bureau  and  is  the  result  of  a  wide  observation  extending 
over  a  number  of  years,  so  that  its  information  is  as 
correct  as  any  available. 


The  Island  Highway 


61 


January         For  the  shooter,  ducks,  geese,  snipe. 

For  the  fisherman,  grilse  in  salt  water  with  a 
good  chance  for  salmon.     Steelhead  in 
nontidal  waters. 
February       For  the  shooter,  ducks,  geese,  snipe. 

For  the  fisherman,  grilse,  spring  salmon  and 
steelhead. 
March  For  the  shooter,  geese  (Brant  and  Canada 

geese) . 
For  the  fisherman,   grilse,   spring  salmon, 
trout,  steelhead ;  trout  fishing  opens  and 
steelhead  fishing  closes  March  26. 
April  For  the  shooter,  geese,  black  bear. 

For  the  fisherman,  trout,  grilse,  spring  sal- 
mon. 
May  For  the  shooter,  black  bear. 

For  the  fisherman,  trout,  grilse,  small  run 
of  cohoe  salmon. 
June  For  the  fisherman,  trout,  black  bass,  grilse, 

small    run    of    cohoe    salmon.      (Best 
month  for  sea  trout.) 
July  For  the  fisherman,  trout,  black  bass. 

August  For  the  shooter,  wild  pigeons  (Bandtail). 

For  the   fisherman,   trout,    spring  salmon, 
black  bass. 
September     For  the  shooter,  grouse,  deer,  ducks,  geese, 
snipe,  pigeons,  bear. 
For  the  fisherman,  trout,  spring  salmon,  co- 
hoe salmon,  black  bass. 
October         For  the  shooter,  grouse,  deer,  ducks,  geese, 
snipe,  pheasants,  quail,  bear. 
For  the  fisherman,  trout,  spring  salmon,  co- 
hoe salmon. 


62  Sunset  Canada 


November  For  the  shooter,  grouse,  deer,  ducks,  geese, 
snipe,  pheasants,  quail,  bear. 
For  the  fisherman,  trout  until  November  15, 
cohoe  salmon  until  November  15. 
Trout  fishing  closes  and  steelhead  fish- 
ing opens. 

December  For  the  shooter,  grouse,  ducks,  geese,  snipe, 
pheasants,  quail,  deer  until  December 
15.  December  31  pheasant,  grouse  and 
quail  shooting  ends. 

Taking  the  opposite  fork  from  Parksville  Junction,  the 
railway  proceeds  to  Cameron  Lake  thirteen  miles  away, 
an  emerald  blue  body  of  water  that  lies  at  the  base  of 
Mount  Arrowsmith,  which  occupies  as  commanding  posi- 
tion in  the  landscape  as  Mount  Fuji  does  in  the  typical 
Japanese  scene.  It  is  less  than  six  thousand  feet  high, 
but  its  top  is  capped  with  eternal  snow  and  it  stands 
effectively  prominent  among  neighbouring  peaks.  The 
railway  skirts  along  high  shelves  of  rock  on  the  banks  of 
the  lake  with  the  firs  and  cedars  of  the  valley  reaching  to 
towering  heights,  but  failing  to  reach  the  altitude  of  the 
rails  in  the  skyward  flight.  Here,  it  is  claimed,  is  some 
of  the  finest  standing  timber  in  the  world,  magnificent 
shafts  that  shoot  upward  like  granite  pillars,  five  to  nine 
feet  in  circumference  and  from  one  to  three  hundred  feet 
high.  There  is  a  pleasant  little  chalet  here  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  visitors,  famous  fishing,  and  much  to  delight 
the  excursionist.  The  automobile  road  lies  in  the  valley 
close  to  the  lake  and  the  Island  Highway  passes  directly 
through  the  magnificent  stand  of  timber  to  which  refer- 
ence has  been  made.  The  tourist  who  comes  here  will  be 
tempted  to  stay  and  let  it  mark  the  terminus  of  his  inland 


The  Island  Highway  63 

journey,  because  there  is  everything  that  most  human  be- 
ings enjoy  when  on  pleasure  bent :  canoeing,  fishing,  hunt- 
ing, motoring,  mountain-climbing  —  and,  if  he  prefers, 
a  landscape  that  seems  to  have  been  created  for  his  special 
benefit  if  he  is  looking  for  absolute  quiet  and  fascinating 
scenes.  The  railway  leads  on,  however,  and  so  does  the 
motor  road,  and  circles  over  to  the  other  side  of  Mount 
Arrowsmith,  so  that  its  snowy  peak  is  viewed  to  the  east- 
ward instead  of  being  the  southwestern  "  decoration  "  of 
the  lake  picture.  Twenty  miles  further  is  Alberni,  the 
port  which  lies  nearer  the  opposite  coast  than  the  Pacific, 
being  situated  at  the  head  of  the  so-called  Alberni  Canal, 
a  fjord  or  deep  gash  in  the  mountains  from  the  Pacific 
to  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Straits,  where  it  is  suddenly 
cut  of¥  by  lofty  barriers  of  stone.  Arriving  at  the  ter- 
minus of  the  railway,  the  traveler  is  glad,  after  all,  that 
he  was  able  to  overcome  all  temptations  to  stop  his  jour- 
ney at  any  of  the  numerous  enchanting  spots  that  beck- 
oned to  him  along  the  route.  Arrived  and  settled  in  the 
evening  before  the  crackling  log  fire  of  the  cozy  hotel 
which  has  many  features  to  remind  one  of  an  English 
inn  —  including  the  cuisine,  which  however  is  presided 
over  by  a  white-capped  chef  from  the  Celestial  Republic 
■ — one  glances  over  the  schedule  for  days  soon  to  come 
and  it  seems  that  here  is  the  fisherman's  paradise  and 
that  all  roads  and  trails  of  the  district  ultimately  lead  in 
this  direction. 


CHAPTER  VI 

MEMORIES   OF   NORWAY 

The  traveler  who  arrives  at  Alberni  by  motor  or  rail- 
way may  spend  several  days  there  before  he  is  reminded 
of  those  granite  walls  of  Norway,  as  straight  as  if  they 
had  been  cut  by  the  knife  from  mountain-top  to  water's 
edge,  because  the  hills  and  mountains  are  more  sloping 
toward  the  head  of  the  fjord  and  often  their  lower  strata 
are  covered  with  trees ;  but  one  who  enters  from  the  Pa- 
cific side  will  have  had  recollections  of  the  celebrated  coun- 
try of  rock-bound  waterways  long  before  the  steamer 
enters  this  beautiful  channel  on  its  circuit  of  the  Island, 
which  is  scheduled  for  twice  a  month  and  which  takes  six 
days  to  complete.  The  first  important  stop  out  of  Vic- 
toria is  Bamfield,  the  station  of  the  Australian  cable,  said 
to  be  the  longest  single  stretch  in  the  world.  Clayoquot 
never  fails  to  excite  admiration  on  account  of  its  scenery. 
Nootka  is  touched,  the  scene  of  so  much  of  importance  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Island ;  and  finally  more  than  scenic 
suggestion  of  Norway,  Holberg  is  reached,  the  westerly 
terminus  of  the  voyage  that  is  pleasant  for  "  good  sail- 
ors," but  not  exactly  to  be  recommended  to  those  who  are 
uncomfortable  when  the  tides  and  currents  play  tag  and 
when  the  steamer  stands  on  end  most  of  the  time.  The 
chief  interest  of  this  cruise  is  the  opportunity  it  affords 
to  visit  small  towns  which  remain  somewhat  primitive 
and  which  in  several  instances  are  populated  almost  en- 
tirely by  the  coast  Indians  who  live  much  as  their  fathers 
64 


Memories  of  Norway  65 

and  grandfathers  did,  excepting  that  they  are  certain  that 
provision  will  be  made  for  them  by  a  paternal  govern- 
ment if  they  come  on  evil  times,  which  is  so  often  the  fate 
of  the  red  man  anywhere  on  the  continent. 

There  is  ample  opportunity  for  one  to  observe  the  red 
men  in  their  villages  along  the  Canal,  a  trip  that  may  be 
made  from  Alberni  to  the  coast  and  back  in  one  day. 
They  are  essentially  aquatic  Indians  and  spend  their  lives 
fishing  —  and  carving  totem  poles,  concerning  which  there 
is  still  so  much  misunderstanding  and  mystery.  But  per- 
haps much  of  this  "  mystery  "  has  arisen  from  the  "  ex- 
planations "  and  theories  of  the  men  who  have  endeav- 
oured to  elucidate  the  "  mystical  message  "  that  in  many 
instances  does  not  exist  at  all,  save  in  their  own  minds. 
At  least  this  is  the  opinion  of  the  Dominion  Indian  Agent, 
who  has  spent  his  life  among  red  men,  speaks  their  own 
language,  and  by  reason  of  his  position  has  had  many 
opportunities  to  learn  "  secrets  "  that  are  withheld  from 
most  white  men. 

"  I  have  even  read  that  the  making  of  totems  is  a  '  lost 
art,'  "  said  the  Agent,  smiling,  as  he  pointed  to  a  large  pole 
in  his  front  yard.  "  That  doesn't  look  much  like  lost  art, 
does  it?  Look  at  the  carving  on  the  eagle's  wings,  and 
see  that  statue  of  me !  It  isn't  exactly  after  Greek  stand- 
ards; but  apparently  it  is  a  red  man's  conception  of  what 
an  Indian  Agent  ought  to  look  like.  They  carved  that  a 
few  years  ago  and  presented  it  to  me  with  all  the  oldtime 
ceremonies,  some  of  which  had  an  almost  '  Masonic ' 
meaning  that  might  have  been  rather  vague  to  the  layman 
but  which  were  not  *  mysterious  '  in  the  way  that  some  of 
the  *  scientists '  would  have  us  believe.  None  of  the 
*  scholars  '  have  ever  *  explained  '  this  totem,  but  it  would 
be  amusing  to  know  the  *  symbolism  '  that  they  would  read 


66  Sunset  Canada 


into  it.  I  am  represented  on  the  pole  with  a  skull  in  my 
hands.  Now  that  is  very  promising  as  a  field  for  '  expla- 
nations.' As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  all  perfectly  simple,  as 
are  most  of  the  other  totems  that  I  have  seen  —  at  least 
they  are  simple  to  me,  because  I  know  the  Indians  well  and 
I  know  that  they  are  first  of  all  very  '  primitive  '  and  have 
never  dreamed  of  the  things  that  white  men  discover  for 
them.  Tossing  the  skull  harks  back  to  an  ancient  custom 
among  them.  The  chief  stood  in  front  of  the  young 
bucks  and  threw  a  skull.  There  was  a  great  scramble  to 
get  hold  of  it,  for  good  fortune  would  come  to  the  pos- 
sessor. On  this  totem  I  am  represented  as  the  Big  Chief 
because  I  represent  the  government.  In  my  official  capac- 
ity I  am  in  a  position  to  do  many  things  for  them  that  they 
want  done.  They  consider  that  I  can  be  of  great  service 
to  them.  I  hold  the  skull  and  I  am  about  to  toss  it. 
Whoever  catches  it  will  be  lucky  because  I  am  the  dis- 
penser of  government  gifts.  Now  what  could  be  simpler  ? 
It  is  nonsense  to  read  too  much  '  symbolism  '  into  any  of 
these  things,  particularly  to  give  them  too  great  religious 
significance.  I  have  usually  found  that  a  chief's  personal 
totem  is  in  reality  a  boast;  but  I  have  read  that  a  chief 
is  sometimes  buried  in  his  totem.  Never!  It  is  rather 
his  means  of  telling  every  one  what  an  unusual  person 
he  is.  He  kills  large  whales,  deer  or  bear,  at  least  he 
claims  that  he  has  done  so  by  his  totem.  As  for  '  sym- 
bolism,' here  is  a  favourite  story  with  them  often  repre- 
sented on  the  poles  and  it  is  very  characteristic  of  most 
of  the  others,  '  Once  upon  a  time  —  a  very  long  time 
ago,  as  most  Indian  stories  begin  —  the  kingfisher  was 
so  smart  that  he  could  talk,  and,  in  consequence,  he 
became  a  great  liar.  He  boasted  so  much  about  what  he 
could  catch  to  eat  that  the  bear  asked :     "  Can  you  take 


TOTEM    CARVED    TO    REPRESENT    WHITE    MAN. 


Memories  of  Norway  67 

a  lizard  from  your  stomach?  "  The  kingfisher  could  not 
do  it  and  the  bear  could.'  So  you  find  the  bird,  the 
bear  and  the  lizard  on  many  totems  to-day  to  remind  the 
Indians  that  it  is  not  wise  to  boast  about  your  accomplish- 
ments or  prowess,  unless  you  can  make  good." 

Perhaps  the  Agent's  words  are  much  nearer  the  truth 
than  most  of  the  "  scientific  explanations  ";  but  it  is  pos- 
sible that  the  whole  truth  lies  between  too  close  familiar- 
ity with  the  red  men  and  too  great  ignorance  of  them  in 
everyday  life.  The  totem  in  some  form  or  other  usually 
representing  animals  has  appeared  at  some  stage  in  the 
development  of  practically  all  the  people  in  the  world,  as 
MacLean  says  in  Canadian  Savage  Folk : 

"  Traces  of  its  existence  are  found  in  the  symbolism  of 
the  Bible,  as  the  lion  was  the  animal  symbol  for  Judah, 
the  ass  for  Issachar,  the  wolf  for  Benjamin,  the  serpent 
for  Dan,  and  the  hind  for  Gad.  .  .  .  The  natives  pro- 
tected their  totems  and  they  expected  to  be  protected  by 
them.  .  .  .  They  were  divinities  which  guarded  and  pro- 
tected them.  .  .  .  Rival  totems  made  war  with  each 
other  as  in  Grecian  mythology,  Lycus  the  wolf  flees  the 
country  before  Aegus  the  goat.  ...  A  husband  may 
belong  to  different  totems  which  will  divide  them  when 
there  arises  a  totem  feud.  Intermarriage  between  the 
members  of  the  same  totem  was  forbidden.  A  member 
of  the  wolf  clan  could  not  marry  a  wolf,  but  he  might 
take  a  wife  from  the  women  of  the  hawk  clan.  .  .  .  Na- 
tives make  a  theoretical  claim  of  descent  from  the  ani- 
mals, which  they  accept  as  their  totems,  but  it  cannot  be 
shown  that  this  is  a  literal  descent.  Confounding  the 
ideal  with  the  real  they  have  come  to  speak  of  them  as 
their  ancestors.  ...  A  clan  was  forbidden  to  kill  or 
eat  the  totem." 


68  Sunset  Canada 


Sometimes  an  Indian's  totem  is  tattooed  on  his  body; 
but  this  is  always  concealed  from  white  men.  The  con- 
tact of  man  in  his  primitive  condition  with  animals  doubt- 
less gave  rise  to  a  choice  of  them  as  totems,  the  bear, 
deer,  wolf  and  buffalo  being  most  frequently  selected. 
Sometimes  the  Indians  sign  their  names  to  treaties  and 
letters  with  their  individual  totems.  They  seem  always 
to  have  been  partial  to  the  bear,  as  they  had  great  respect 
for  his  cunning.  In  the  British  Association  Report  of  the 
Northwest  Tribes  appears  the  following  as  to  the  origin 
of  the  bear  totem,  which  is  fairly  typical  of  the  stories 
concerning  other  animals : 

"  An  Indian  went  mountain  goat  hunting.  When  he 
had  reached  a  remote  mountain  range,  he  met  a  black 
bear,  who  took  him  to  his  home,  taught  him  how'  to  catch 
salmon  and  how  to  build  boats.  Two  years  the  man 
stayed  v.'ith  the  bear;  then  he  returned  to  his  village. 
All  the  people  were  afraid  of  him  for  he  looked  like  a 
bear.  One  man,  however,  caught  him  and  took  him 
home.  He  could  not  speak  and  could  not  eat  anything 
but  raw  food.  Then  they  rubbed  him  with  magic  herbs 
and  he  was  transformed  into  the  shape  of  a  man. 
Thenceforth,  w^hen  he  v^as  in  want,  he  went  into  the 
woods  and  his  friend  the  bear  helped  him.  In  winter 
when  the  rivers  were  frozen  he  caught  plenty  of  salmon. 
He  built  a  house  and  painted  a  bear  on  the  front  of  it. 
His  sister  made  a  dancing  blanket,  the  design  of  which 
represented  a  bear.  Therefore  the  descendants  of  his 
sisters  used  the  bear  for  their  crest." 

Walter  Moberly,  living  in  Victoria  at  the  time  of  writ- 
ing, but  nevertheless  one  of  the  early  explorers  in  several 
parts  of  the  province,  relates  that  at  one  time  he  was 
badly  in  need  of  food  for  himself  and  the  Indian  who 


Memories  of  Norway 69 

was  accompanying  him  and  fortunately  he  shot  a  bear. 
It  was  an  exceptionally  large  specimen  and  he  wanted 
to  pack  the  head  and  hide  over  the  trails  to  have  it 
mounted  for  his  home.  But  his  companion  urged  him 
not  to  do  so,  declaring  that  it  would  make  all  other  bears 
very  angry.  He  would  be  unable  to  procure  any  more 
bears  for  food  and  all  grizzlies  would  be  particularly 
ferocious.  He  begged  that  he  might  have  the  head  to 
dispose  of  in  "  Indian  fashion."  Moberly  gave  it  to  him 
and  watched  the  Indian  tear  off  a  piece  from  his  red 
shirt  (the  ceremonial  colour)  thus  paying  to  it  the  respect 
which  Indians  always  like  to  pay  to  the  bear,  tied  it  to 
the  bear's  head  and  then  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  spruce 
tree,  tear  away  the  branches  and  leave  the  head  there, 
ornamented  with  red,  thus  an  adequate  tribute  in  death. 

Modern  totems  are  perhaps  best  represented  among  the 
coast  Indians  of  British  Columbia  at  the  present  time, 
although  they  are  also  found  among  the  natives  of  New 
Zealand  and  Australia.  It  does  not  require  much  of  a 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  associate  these  wooden  im- 
ages with  the  stone  carvings  of  the  ancient  Egyptians, 
Assyrians,  Chinese  and  even  the  Greeks.  In  fact,  it  has 
been  maintained  that  traces  of  totem  worship  are  indi- 
cated in  the  names  of  Christians  and  pagans  alike  in  the 
catacombs  of  Rome. 

"  It  is  my  opinion  that  our  coast  Indians  will  remain 
fishermen  despite  the  educational  opportunities  that  are 
afforded  them  or  whatever  they  observe  from  contact 
with  white  men,"  continued  the  Agent.  "  They  are  not- 
ably undemonstrative  and  appear  to  take  very  slight 
interest  in  what  one  would  expect  to  interest  them  pro- 
foundly. For  example,  the  first  automobile  they  saw  did 
not  occasion  any  particular  interest.     They  would  not 


70  Sunset  Canada 


be  interested  if  a  submarine  should  come  up  the  Alberni 
Canal.  These  Indians  are  prosperous  and  could  become 
rich  if  they  wanted  to  be,  but  they  are  improvident,  and 
when  old  age  overtakes  them  they  are  usually  pi  liable 
objects,  because  they  may  not  expect  help  from  children, 
relatives,  or  members  of  the  tribe.  It  seems  that  most 
of  my  work  consists  of  looking  up  the  cases  of  the 
outcasts  who  are  neglected  and  become  declasse  for  no 
other  reason  than  that  they  are  old,  infirm  or  ill.  To 
these  I  give  blankets,  flour,  or  whatever  they  need  and 
their  relatives  or  tribesmen  do  not  resent  my  '  interfer- 
ence,' although  it  seems  to  be  in  their  nature  to  deal 
otherwise  with  those  in  distress." 

On  this  subject  Sproat's  Scenes  and  Studies  of  Savage 
Life  says:  "The  practice  of  abandoning  aged  persons 
or  those  afflicted  with  lingering  diseases  was  lately  quite 
common  among  the  Alts.  Before  satisfying  myself  on 
this  point,  I  had  believed  that  this  inhuman  custom  was 
confined  to  those  savage  tribes  which  being  forced  to 
wander  over  extensive  districts  in  pursuit  of  game  for 
food  and  obliged  to  be  at  all  times  ready  to  fight  an 
enemy,  were  unable  to  carry  with  them  in  their  rapid 
marches  persons  infirm  from  age  or  sickness  and  chil- 
dren of  defective  forms.  But  the  practice  is  common 
among  the  tribes  on  this  coast  who  are  seldom  in  want 
of  food  and  who  never  move  their  encampments  but 
for  short  distances,  and  the  custom  I  think  rests  simply 
on  the  unwillingness  of  the  natives  to  be  troubled  with 
the  care  of  hopeless  invalids.  It  is  not  much  worse  as  a 
proof  of  the  insensibility  of  the  human  heart  than  the 
manner  of  treating  insane  persons  in  Scotland  and  other 
civilized  countries  before  lunatic  asylums  were  estab- 
lished.    The  victims  among  the  Indians,  as  stated  above. 


Memories  of  Norway 71 

are  not  always  aged  persons,  young  and  old  of  both  sexes 
are  exposed  when  afflicted  with  lingering  disease.  A 
father  will  abandon  his  child,  or  a  child  his  father.  In 
bitter  weather  a  sufferer  has  been  known  to  have  been 
taken  to  a  distance  from  the  encampment  and  left  un- 
sheltered with  a  small  quantity  of  water  and  dried  salmon. 
No  one  is  permitted  to  add  to  the  allowance,  or  to  show 
attention  to  the  miserable  invalid,  his  own  relatives  pass 
him  by  in  the  woods  with  perfect  indifference.  Indi- 
viduals thus  abandoned  occasionally  recover  and  return 
to  the  village,  but  more  often  they  perish  wretchedly  and 
the  wild  beasts  devour  them.  In  opposition  to  this  in- 
difference an  eye-witness  told  me  of  the  frightful  manner 
in  which  the  parents  of  a  young  girl  who  died  showed  on 
that  occasion  their  excessive  grief.  As  soon  as  life  had 
departed,  they  screamed,  and  frantically  seizing  the  body 
by  the  hair,  arms  and  legs,  threw  it  about  the  house  until 
they  were  quite  fatigued,  then,  after  a  time,  they  placed 
it  on  a  couch  in  a  sitting  posture  to  await  burial." 

I  called  the  Agent's  attention  to  the  fact  that  I  had 
seen  a  young  Indian  receive  $67  for  one  day's  catch  of 
fish,  and  that  I  had  been  told  of  an  Indian  who  received 
$10  a  day  for  eight  days'  fishing. 

"  That's  nothing  for  these  Indians,"  he  replied.  "  I 
know  a  young  fellow  who  made  $1 17  in  one  day  with  his 
fish  lines.  There  are  times  when  they  get  eleven  cents  a 
pound,  and  when  you  realize  that  a  good  salmon  weighs 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  fifty  pounds,  the  abundance  of 
salmon  in  these  waters  —  and  the  fact  that  they  are  better 
fishermen  than  white  men,  you  can  see  how  they  can  make 
money.  At  present,  most  of  them  are  buying  launches, 
as  they  do  not  care  to  paddle  canoes  as  their  fathers  did. 
Here  is  what  they  used  to  fish  with."     The  Agent  ex- 


72  Sunset  Canada 

hibited  hooks  made  of  twisted  spruce  roots  and  prongs  of 
bone,  with  fine  strong  lines  made  of  bark  shreds.  "  But 
they  don't  like  to  do  it  any  more;  they  fish  with  trolling 
spoons  and  beat  the  white  man  with  his  own  invention. 
Fishing,  as  I  said  before,  is  their  ambition  and  their  hfe. 
As  a  general  rule  they  are  holding  their  own  pretty  well, 
although  some  of  the  tribes  have  become  almost  extinct. 
I  cannot  say  that  I  am  particularly  optimistic  about  the 
results  from  educating  them  in  our  schools.  In  the  first 
place,  they  do  not  want  education  and  they  do  not  use  it 
after  they  get  it.  I  have  seen  girls  remain  in  our  schools 
until  they  seemed  to  be  completely  reclaimed  from  sav- 
agery, but  contact  with  home  influence  soon  brought  them 
back  to  where  they  started  or  worse  —  because  after  they 
had  been  to  school  they  had  gained  a  knowledge  of  a 
life  that  made  them  unhappy  afterwards.  I  knew  a  girl 
who  was  several  years  in  our  schools.  She  seemed  a 
shining  example  of  what  could  be  accomplished  with 
proper  training.  You  should  have  heard  her  play  the 
piano !  Then  she  returned  to  her  parents  and  instead  of 
having  any  influence  for  good  in  the  home  life,  she 
quickly  returned  to  where  she  was  in  the  beginning.  I 
saw  her  not  long  after  she  left  school.  She  was  wear- 
ing a  dirty  calico  wrapper  and  sitting  in  the  doorway  of 
a  tumble-down  shack  —  just  like  the  others  who  had  no 
education,  excepting  that  she  was  miserable  because  she 
had  tasted  a  better  hfe." 

A  few  days  before  I  visited  him,  the  Agent  had  made 
what  he  considered  a  most  important  discovery,  because 
so  little  remains  to  be  found  out  about  a  people  who  have 
been  so  diligently  studied  by  the  specialists,  who  have 
always  endeavoured  to  find  something  that  would  defi- 
nitely link  them  with  the  Chinese  or  Japanese. 


Memories  of  Norway 73 

"  I  always  knew  that  they  had  some  sort  of  ceremony 
at  the  beginning  of  the  fishing  season,  or  when  they  were 
about  to  go  to  their  boats  and  particularly  wanted  '  luck,'  " 
he  related.  "  At  one  time  and  another  they  have  been 
pretty  confidential  with  me  about  these  matters ;  but  they 
always  denied  that  there  was  anything  of  the  kind.  Last 
week,  when  I  was  completing  a  tour  of  my  district,  I 
chanced  to  come  to  a  village  where  the  men  had  left  on 
a  fishing  expedition.  Looking  around  the  place,  as  I 
usually  do  to  discover  any  old  and  destitute  Indians 
who  had  been  thrown  out  of  the  village,  I  scented  a  trail 
in  the  woods,  one  that  would  not  be  likely  to  be  recognized 
by  any  one  but  an  Indian,  unless  he  knew  them  and  their 
customs  pretty  well.  I  followed  it  and  by  the  merest 
chance  I  came  on  what  I  had  always  wanted  to  see,  a 
shrine  for  *"  oosh-mish  '  which  may  be  roughly  interpreted 
as  a  prayer  for  fish.  Fortunately,  I  had  my  camera  with 
me  and  snapped  this  photograph.  The  foliage  was 
heavy,  and  there  was  very  little  sunlight;  but  I  am  cer- 
tain it  is  the  first  and  only  photograph  ever  taken  of  such 
a  shrine.  If  you  look  closely,  you  will  distinguish  two 
men  in  a  canoe,  a  spear  over  the  side  of  the  boat  and  three 
'  seals '  or  fish  in  the  moss  at  the  side.  All  this  was 
neatly  woven  and  formed  of  moss  and  twigs.  Rather 
simple,  yes;  but  I  assure  you  that  it  is  probably  one  of 
the  most  sacred  shrines  the  coast  Indians  knows.  He 
would  believe  implicitly  in  the  efficacy  of  a  prayer  at  this 
shrine,  in  bringing  him  *  fisherman's  luck,'  which  in  these 
waters  means  several  fifty-pound  salmon,  which  he  could 
sell  at  about  eleven  cents  a  pound." 

On  the  Canal  there  is  one  of  several  British  Columbia 
whale  fisheries  where  the  operation  of  carving  the  sea 
monsters  into  various  articles  of  commerce  may  be  wit- 


74  Sunset  Canada 


nessed.  Formerly  there  was  world-wide  interest  in  the 
catching  of  whales,  and  many  towns  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada  practically  owe  their  existence  to  the  day 
when  it  was  supposed  to  be  a  more  flourishing  industry. 
Then  whales  became  "  scarce "  and  profits  decreased. 
Boats  that  had  been  exclusively  used  in  whale  fishing 
were  sent  on  other  sea  errands.  And  then  as  the  in- 
dustry revived  it  attracted  so  little  attention  that  the 
world  is  not  aware  of  its  magnitude  in  various  places,  one 
of  the  most  important  being  on  Vancouver  Island  and 
adjacent  waters.  The  Pacific  Whaling  company  has 
averaged  about  six  hundred  whales  each  season  since  it 
began  operations.  It  has  adopted  modern  methods  — 
like  the  other  fishing  concerns  —  and  instead  of  old- 
fashioned  sailing  ships,  whales  are  now  pursued  by  fast 
steamers  and  are  harpooned  not  in  the  old  style,  but  by  a 
Svend  Foyu  harpoon  gun.  After  the  harpoon  enters  the 
carcase  it  explodes  and  the  whale  is  speedily  despatched. 
Sometimes  when  the  boat  is  near  a  school  of  whales  a 
second  harpoon  is  shot,  which  connects  with  a  tube  by 
means  of  which  steam  is  pumped  into  the  body,  which 
assists  it  to  float.  A  flag  or  marker  is  placed  in  it  and 
the  steamef  loses  little  time  in  the  pursuit  of  another 
whale.  After  the  catch,  the  carcasses  are  towed  to  the 
whaling  station,  where  they  are  raised  to  piers  con- 
venient for  cutting.  Practically  every  portion  of  the 
huge  mammal  is  used  to  profit.  Whalebone  of  a  certain 
variety  fetches  $12,000  a  ton.  The  body  bones  are 
crushed  and  used  as  fertilizer.  Strips  of  flesh  are  cut 
from  head  to  tail,  about  a  foot  wide,  from  which  the 
blubber  is  torn  by  means  of  hooks  and  a  steam  winch.  It 
goes  to  steam-heated  pans  where  it  is  "  tried  "  for  whale 
oil,  which  likewise  continues  to  bring  a  fancy  price  in  the 


Memories  of  Norway  75 

market.  On  the  Pacific  coast  a  considerable  profit  is 
derived  from  salting  or  pickling  the  tails  and  sending 
them  to  Japan,  where  they  are  deemed  a  delicacy.  And 
the  experiment  of  salting  some  of  the  "  beef  "  for  the 
oriental  market  has  been  a  success,  resulting  in  annual 
shipments  worth  $50,000  from  the  province.  In  this 
manner  the  whaling  industry  on  Vancouver  Island  has 
paid  a  profit  of  from  fifteen  to  forty  per  cent.,  although 
it  is  an  industry  concerning  which  one  hears  very  little. 
There  is  a  possibility  that  it  may  become  far  more  profit- 
able, because  in  the  spring  of  19 17,  when  food  prices 
were  soaring  on  account  of  the  European  w^ar,  a  serious 
propaganda  was  started  in  Victoria  to  encourage  people 
to  eat  whale  meat.  It  was  placed  on  sale  in  all  the  lead- 
ing markets,  attention  being  called  to  its  cheapness  and 
food  values  by  large  placards.  The  price  was  ten  cents 
per  pound  and  it  was  widely  heralded  that  official  analysis 
had  proved  it  to  possess  two  per  cent,  more  protein  mat- 
ter than  beef,  which  it  resembled,  although  of  a  darker 
red  colour,  more  like  corned  beef  that  has  been  cooked. 
It  is  said  that  the  average  whale  contains  about  six  tons 
of  this  "  beef,"  so  that  the  source  of  supply  is  almost 
inexhaustible. 

The  British  Columbia  Yearbook  says  that  the  average 
whale  in  these  waters  weighs  about  sixty  tons  and  at 
present  prices  (not  counting  that  which  is  sold  for  food 
at  ten  cents  a  pound)  is  worth  about  $500.  There  are 
several  varieties,  however,  some  of  which  are  much 
smaller  and  bring  less  revenue;  but  there  is  also  the  so- 
called  "  right "  whale,  exceedingly  rare  and  which  is 
worth  in  the  neighbourhood  of  $10,000.  About  two- 
thirds  of  the  whales  captured  are  cows,  either  with  suck- 
ing calves  or  with  the  young  unborn.     I  saw  one  of  the 


76  Sunset  Canada 


latter  which  was  about  eighteen  inches  long  and  perfectly 
formed.  It  had  been  preserved  in  the  collection  of  the 
above-quoted  Indian  Agent,  who  said  that  the  average 
whale  is  about  fourteen  feet  long  at  birth. 

"  I  have  seen  the  time  when  I  ran  into  a  dozen  or 
more  whales  here  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canal  as  I  started 
on  my  inspection  tours,"  he  continued.  "  They  seem 
to  thin  out  for  a  time,  and  then  when  there  is  something 
of  a  letup  in  the  killing  they  quickly  become  numerous 
again,  which  makes  it  appear  that  indiscriminate  slaugh- 
ter makes  them  scarce.  The  whale  seems  to  be  an  affec- 
tionate animal.  When  his  mate  is  harpooned,  it  is  pretty 
certain  that  another  will  be  caught,  because  he  will  remain 
in  the  vicinity  and  pay  the  penalty.  I  have  known  two  of 
them  to  linger  around  the  baby  which  had  been  killed, 
until  harpoons  brought  them  to  the  same  fate.  Whale 
hunting  was  at  one  time  the  sport  of  kings  in  this  region, 
or  more  correctly  perhaps,  it  had  a  deep  political  or  re- 
ligious meaning,  something  like  the  opening  of  Parlia- 
ment by  the  King.  You  recall  that  John  Jewitt  refers 
to  this  in  his  Journal  written  at  Nootka,  when  he  was 
the  slave  of  Maquinna  the  Chief.  He  wrote :  *  The 
whale  is  considered  as  the  King's  fish  and  no  other  per- 
son when  he  is  present  is  permitted  to  touch  him  until  the 
royal  harpoon  has  first  drawn  his  blood  however  near 
he  may  approach;  and  it  would  be  considered  almost  a 
sacrilege  for  any  of  the  common  people  to  strike  a  whale 
before  he  is  killed,  particularly  if  any  of  the  chiefs  should 
be  present.'  " 

Sproat  gives  more  explicit  details  of  this  ceremony  of 
royal  whale-fishing.  He  says  that  preparations  for  the 
event  sometimes  continue  over  several  months  and  adds : 
"  I  particularly  noticed  this  circumstance  from  having  in 


Memories  of  Norway  77 

boyhood  heard  of  the  Manx  custom  in  which  all  the 
crews  of  the  herring  fleet  invoke  a  blessing  before  '  shoot- 
ing '  their  herring  nets.  The  honour  of  using  the  har- 
poon in  an  Aht  tribe  is  enjoyed  but  by  few  —  about  a 
dozen  in  the  tribe  —  who  inherit  the  privilege.  In- 
stances, however,  are  known  of  the  privilege  having  been 
acquired  by  merit ;  eight  or  nine  men,  selected  by  the 
harpooner,  form  the  crew  of  his  canoe.  For  several 
moons  before  the  fishing  begins,  these  men  are  compelled 
to  abstain  from  their  usual  food,  they  live  away  from 
their  wives,  wash  their  bodies  morning,  noon,  and  night 
and  rub  their  skins  with  twigs,  or  a  rough  stone.  If  a 
canoe  is  damaged  or  capsized  by  a  whale,  or  any  accident 
happens  during  the  fishing  season,  it  is  assumed  that  some 
of  the  crew  have  failed  in  their  preparatory  offices  and  a 
very  strict  inquiry  is  instituted  by  the  chief  men  of  the 
tribe.  Witnesses  are  examined  and  an  investigation 
made  into  the  domestic  affairs  and  the  habits  of  the 
accused  persons.  Should  any  inculpatory  circumstances 
appear,  the  delinquent  is  severely  dealt  with  and  is  often 
deprived  of  his  rank  and  placed  under  the  bans  for 
months.  When  the  whales  approach  the  coast,  the  fish- 
ermen are  out  all  day,  let  the  wind  blow  high  or  not. 
The  canoes  have  different  cruising-grounds  some  little 
distance  apart.  The  Indian  whaling  gear  consists  of 
harpoons,  lines,  inflated  sealskins,  and  wooden  and  bone 
spears.  The  harpoon  is  often  made  of  a  piece  of  the 
iron  hoop  of  an  ale  cask,  cut  with  a  chisel  into  the  shape 
of  a  harpoon  blade  —  two  barbs  fashioned  from  the  tips 
of  deer-horns  being  affixed  to  this  blade  with  gum. 
Close  to  the  harpoon  the  line  is  of  deer  sinews.  To  this 
the  main  line  is  attached,  which  is  generally  made  of 
cedar  twigs  laid  together  as  thick  as  a  three-inch  rope. 


78  Sunset  Canada 


Large  inflated  skins  are  fastened  to  this  line  about  twelve 
feet  from  the  harpoon.  The  weapon  itself  is  then  tied 
to  the  yew  handle  ten  feet  long.  On  getting  close,  the 
harpooner,  from  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  throws  the  har- 
poon at  the  whale  with  his  full  force.  As  soon  as  the 
barb  enters,  the  fastening  of  the  wooden  handle,  being 
but  slight,  breaks  and  it  becomes  detached  from  the  line. 
The  natives  raise  a  yell,  and  the  whale  dives  quickly,  but 
the  sealskins  impede  his  movements.  Very  long  lengths 
of  line  are  kept  in  the  canoe  and  sometimes  the  lines  from 
several  canoes  are  joined.  On  the  reappearance  of  the 
whale  on  the  surface  he  is  attacked  from  the  nearest 
canoe,  and  thus,  finally,  forty  or  fifty  large  buoys  are 
attached  to  his  body.  He  struggles  violently  for  a  time, 
and  beats  and  lashes  the  water  in  all  directions,  until, 
weakened  by  loss  of  blood  and  fatigued  by  his  exertions, 
he  ceases  to  struggle,  and  the  natives  despatch  him  with 
their  short  spears.  The  whale  is  then  taken  in  tow  by 
the  whole  fleet  of  canoes  —  the  crews  yelling  and  singing 
and  keeping  time  with  their  paddles.  Sometimes,  after 
being  harpooned,  the  whale  escapes  and  takes  ropes,  seal- 
skins and  everything  with  him.  Should  he  die  from  his 
wounds  and  be  found  by  another  tribe  at  sea,  or  on  shore 
within  the  territorial  limits  of  the  finders,  the  instruments 
are  returned  to  the  losers,  with  a  large  piece  of  the  fish 
as  a  present.  Many  disputes  arise  between  tribes  on  the 
finding  of  dead  whales  near  the  undefined  boundaries  of 
the  tribal  territories.  If  the  quarrel  is  serious,  all  inter- 
course ceases,  trade  is  forbidden  and  war  is  threatened. 
By  and  by,  when  the  loss  of  trade  is  felt,  negotiation  is 
tried.  An  envoy  is  selected  who  is  of  high  rank  in  his 
own  tribe,  and,  if  possible,  connected  with  the  other  tribe 
by  marriage.     He  is  usually  a  quiet  man  of  fluent  speech. 


Memories  of  Norway  79 

Wearing  white  eagle  feathers  in  his  head  dress  as  a  mark 
of  peace,  he  departs  in  a  small  canoe.  Only  one  female 
attendant,  generally  an  old  slave,  accompanies  him  to 
assist  in  paddling,  as  the  natives  never  risk  two  men  on 
such  an  occasion.  As  a  general  rule,  the  first  proposi- 
tion is  rejected.  Objections,  references,  counter-pro- 
posals, frequently  make  three  or  four  embassies  necessary 
before  the  question  can  be  settled." 


CHAPTER  VII 

AN    UNFULFILLED    PROPHECY 

The  two  Albernis,  for  some  reason  or  other  which 
nobody  seems  to  be  able  to  explain,  were  named  for  the 
Spanish  Captain  of  Infantry,  Don  Pedro  Alberni,  who 
served  in  Mexico.  One  is  old,  a  sawmill  having  been 
located  there  about  sixty  years  ago,  when  Douglas  fir 
timbers  were  cut  and  prepared  for  the  Scotch  and  English 
ship-builders;  and  it  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  ship- 
building port  of  the  British  Columbia  coast  in  modern 
times,  not  considering  the  vessels  that  were  constructed 
at  Nootka  by  the  early  traders  who  had  the  assistance  of 
Chinese  carpenters.  The  other  is  new.  When  the  Es- 
quimalt  and  Nanaimo  railway  completed  its  extension  to 
the  Alberni  Canal  it  was  considered  practicable  to  go 
beyond  the  old  town,  where  the  waters  v^ere  shallower 
on  account  of  the  Somas  river's  spring  freshets  which 
brought  down  great  quantities  of  deposit.  So  Port  Al- 
berni became  the  railway  terminus,  leaving  the  old  town 
two  miles  away.  It  had  hotels,  stores,  and  was  the  cen- 
ter of  a  large  community;  new  hotels,  stores  and  houses 
were  built  in  the  new  town.  An  era  of  prosperity  seemed 
at  hand  and  the  district  was  caught  in  a  real  estate  boom 
that  seems  to  have  anticipated  that  It  would  become  a  sec- 
ond Chicago,  Winnipeg  or  Vancouver.  The  city's  lim- 
its quickly  included  the  old  town  and  the  new  town.  For- 
est land  and  land  where  timber  had  been  cut,  but  where 
stumps  remained,  swamps,  hills  and  valleys,  lie  between 
80 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 81 

the  two ;  but  the  ground  was  plotted  for  streets  and  house 
sites  over  the  entire  distance  and  far  beyond.  The  town 
was  immediately  laid  out  to  accommodate  twenty-five 
thousand  inhabitants.  A  water-works  system  was  in- 
stalled bringing  fine  snow  water  from  China  Creek  (so 
named  because  the  Chinese  washed  gold  out  of  its  sands 
in  the  early  days)  electric  lights  were  installed,  and  a 
building  boom  started  and  continued  for  some  time.  No- 
body seemed  to  know  just  why;  but  it  was  in  the  air  that 
Alberni  was  to  become  a  great  city.  There  may  have 
been  a  few  doubting  questioners ;  but  they  were  silenced. 
Were  there  not  similar  doubters  in  the  first  days  of  Van- 
couver, Seattle  and  other  populous  port  cities?  Every 
newcomer  seemed  to  be  as  optimistic  as  those  who  had 
preceded  him.  If  a  direct  inquiry  had  been  made  as  to 
this  optimism,  he  would  have  replied :  "  Why  will  the 
sun  rise  to-morrow  morning?  You  can't  tell  why  it 
will ;  but  you  are  sure  of  it." 

But  Alberni  did  not  become  a  metropolis.  Perhaps  it 
never  will.  If  it  does  not,  it  will  remain  a  charming 
rendezvous  for  sportsmen  of  all  kinds  and  a  delightful 
place  to  make  one's  headquarters,  while  exploring  the 
dozen  interesting  places  in  the  vicinity.  If  it  does,  and 
for  some  reason  it  is  necessary  to  bring  colonists  and 
settlers  by  special  train  because  their  numbers  overtax  the 
regularly  scheduled  trains,  then  the  town  is  large  enough 
to  accommodate  them  —  all  that  are  likely  to  arrive  for 
many  years  to  come.  It  has  never  had  more  than  two 
thousand  five  hundred  inhabitants  in  its  most  exciting 
days  —  this  city  laid  out  and  equipped  to  make  life  at- 
tractive for  twenty-five  thousand  at  the  beginning. 
Dozens  of  pretty  bungalows  on  the  hillside  are  deserted 
or  have  never  been  tenanted.     They  are  set  amid  plots 


82  Sunset  Canada 


of  ground  that  would  easily  produce  fine  gardens  if  there 
was  any  one  to  cultivate  the  soil.  They  look  down  a 
gently  sloping  hill,  across  the  mile-and-a-half  wide  water- 
way to  a  steep  mountain  of  green  and  away  to  snow- 
capped mountains  beyond.  Here  it  appears  that  one 
might  enjoy  a  blissful  life.  Fish  swarm  up  the  waters 
of  the  Canal  in  such  numbers  that  even  the  trainmen  drop 
their  lines  when  they  reach  the  terminal,  and  while  the 
cars  are  being  switched  and  the  engines  turned  have  been 
known  to  capture  salmon  or  trout  that  paid  them  for 
their  day's  journey  across  the  Island.  There  is  game  in 
the  neighbouring  woods  some  of  which  browses  at 
shrubs  in  the  gardens  of  the  town  itself.  There  are 
enough  excursions  in  the  nearby  "  wilds  "  to  make  the 
average  residents  a  year's  holidays  to  enjoy  them  all. 
And  still  the  people  did  not  come.  The  city  was  pre- 
pared for  them,  but  they  remained  elsewhere.  The  slump 
from  the  real  estate  boom  had  already  set  in,  and,  when 
the  European  war  began,  Alberni's  young  men  heard 
their  country's  call  and  left  by  trainloads.  When  I  vis- 
ited it  the  cruel  efifects  of  speculators'  optimism  and  the 
war  had  combined  to  make  it  merely  a  shadow  of  what 
it  had  been,  which  was  but  a  shadow  of  what  its  chief 
promoters  had  anticipated.  Still  its  inhabitants  were 
optimistic  and  were  thinking  of  the  future.  Many  of 
them  assured  me  that  "  some  day  it  will  be  a  great  city  " ; 
but  even  if  this  prophecy  should  be  fulfilled,  if  the  streets 
of  forest  and  stumps  should  become  gardens  and  rows  of 
bungalows,  it  would  add  nothing  to  the  traveler's  pleas- 
ure. In  fact,  Alberni  may  be  more  attractive  to  the  visi- 
tor as  it  is  at  present.  Accommodations  for  his  comfort 
are  ample.  And  his  excursions  afield  could  be  no  more 
enjoyable  if  he  returned  at  night  to  a  populous  city  of 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy  83 

paved  streets  and  the  noise  and  clatter  of  the  Island 
metropolis. 

"  The  conditions  here  are  peculiar,"  explained  a  man 
of  Alberni.  "  In  a  prairie  country  agriculture  produces 
towns  and  cities;  here  the  reverse  is  true,  the  towns  will 
promote  agriculture.  This  district  is  surrounded  by  a 
vast  amount  of  fine  timber.  First  of  all,  that  must  be 
cut  and  the  cutting  will  bring  men.  Unfortunately, 
much  of  it  is  held  by  capitalists  who  are  waiting  until 
other  timberlands  fail.  Ultimately,  however,  they  must 
come  here ;  and,  when  they  do  come,  their  employees  are 
likely  to  remain.  Land  that  is  now  forest  will  be  bring- 
ing money  to  the  small  agricultural  producer,  which  will 
develop  Alberni ;  and,  in  the  meantime,  we  have  resources 
in  fish.  From  the  reports  of  prospectors  who  have  re- 
cently returned  from  nearby  mountains,  we  have  reason 
to  suspect  that  mining  operations  will  be  carried  on  here 
shortly.  Out-croppings  near  the  base  of  the  city  indicate 
that  the  townsite  itself  is  upon  a  large  deposit  of  coal. 
Copper  has  been  found  and  larger  quantities  are  almost 
within  sight.  Whatever  develops,  however,  we  are  in 
the  midst  of  the  splendid  timberlands  and  they  cannot 
fail  to  promote  Alberni's  prosperity." 

Alberni  is  cool  and  misty  in  the  morning;  in  fact  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year  the  nights  are  cool,  made  so  by  a 
breeze  that  comes  through  the  granite  tunnel  of  the  Canal 
every  afternoon,  a  breeze  that  seems  to  sweep  inland  from 
the  Pacific.  The  waters  that  early  in  the  day  are  like  the 
proverbial  millpond,  pile  into  small  waves,  sometimes 
crested  with  whitecaps  by  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
It  is  a  climate  in  summer  that  produces  appetites  and 
hotels  are  usually  well  stocked  with  what  is  popularly 
known  as  "  fruit  in  season  " —  salmon  of  various  kinds, 


84  Sunset  Canada 


trout  from  the  cold  waters,  and  even  several  kinds  of 
game,  much  of  which  is  contributed  to  the  larder  by  tour- 
ists who  not  only  prefer  to  eat  "  the  fish  I  caught "  and 
"  the  goose  I  shot,"  but  who  "  have  such  good  luck,"  that 
they  like  to  invite  others  to  share  in  their  fortune. 

Data  collected  by  the  Provincial  Bureau  of  Informa- 
tion shows  the  duck  tribe  is  well  represented  by  mallards, 
Widgeon,  Pin-tail,  Buffle-head,  Golden-eye,  Blue-bills  and 
some  teal.  On  the  west  coast  and  in  the  Alberni  district, 
and  on  the  east  coast  in  the  Comox  and  Campbell  River 
districts,  and  further  north,  the  shooting  is  the  best  at  all 
times.  Where  the  birds  feed  on  the  fiats  extending  up 
the  rivers  they  will  be  found  to  be  of  good  flavour.  As 
the  season  advances  and  they  commence  feeding  along 
the  seashore  their  flesh  becomes  fishy.  Some  of  the  lakes 
afford  fair  shooting  and  the  birds  feeding  there  are  good 
eating. 

Willow  grouse  is  the  popular  name  for  the  Ruffed 
Grouse,  which  is  common.  In  the  early  part  of  the  sea- 
son they  frequent  the  swamps  and  thickets,  where  they 
are  difficult  to  get  at,  and,  when  found,  are  apt  to  play 
into  the  hands  of  the  pot-hunter  by  the  way  they  have 
of  perching  in  the  trees  and  staying  there  until  he  spots 
and  potshots  them.  Later  on,  however,  when  the  swamps 
become  overflowed,  they  take  to  higher  and  more  open 
ground,  when  the  sport  they  afford  over  a  good  dog  is  by 
most  British  Columbia  sportsmen  considered  the  best  of 
any  of  the  game  birds.  The  blue,  sooty  or  pine  grouse 
is  a  timber  bird,  which  is  plentiful,  particularly  in  those 
places  in  the  hills  where  there  are  bare  patches  of  rock 
among  the  tall  timber.  For  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
they  feed  on  the  foliage  of  the  Douglas  pines  and  keep 
in  the  trees.     They  come  down  to  lower  ground  in  the 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 85 

breeding  season,  but  when  the  young  birds  are  full  grown 
they  speedily  retake  themselves  to  the  tall  timber  and 
the  higher  levels  of  the  mountains.  Hence  the  season 
for  blue  grouse  shooting  is  in  practice  a  short  one,  as 
however  plentiful  the  birds  before  the  shooting  opens,  a 
week  or  two  of  shooting  will  find  them  very  scarce,  not 
because  they  have  been  decimated  by  the  hunters,  but 
because  they  have  taken  to  their  natural  refuge  in  the 
timber  of  the  mountains.  Shot  on  level  ground  over  dogs 
the  blue  grouse  is  not  a  particularly  hard  bird  to  hit,  but 
among  timber,  and  especially  on  steep  hillsides,  where 
they  invariably  fly  down  hill  at  a  great  pace,  they  afford 
shooting  which  is  difficult  to  beat  for  its  sporting  quali- 
ties. 

Canada  geese  or  "  Honkers  "  are  shot  in  large  numbers 
up  the  west  coast.  Live  decoys  when  such  are  obtainable 
are  the  best,  and  after  that  the  sheet  iron  profile  decoys. 
Some  geese  are  shot  during  the  brant  flight,  but  the 
*'  honker  "  is  a  wary  bird.  When  the  pheasants,  grouse 
and  quail  are  out,  the  ducks  and  geese  are  in,  and  the 
wild  fowl  shooting  is  at  its  best.  Before  these  are  out  of 
season,  angling  is  open  for  salmon  and  grilse,  with  excel- 
lent prospects  of  large  baskets  of  these  latter  and  a  very 
fair  chance  of  good  sport  with  Spring  salmon  on  most 
parts  of  the  coast. 

Practically  speaking,  all  the  streams  and  lakes  of  the 
Island  contain  trout  of  some  kind,  chiefly  rainbow  or 
cut-throat;  but  they  are  particularly  plentiful  around  Al- 
berni.  The  Somas  river,  which  flows  into  one  end  of  the 
town  itself,  and  neighbouring  streams  and  lakes  offer 
splendid  sport  for  the  pedestrian.  Sproat  Lake  is  within 
easy  distance  and  it  is  only  twelve  miles  over  a  good 
motor  road  to  Great  Central  Lake,  where  the  Ark,  a 


86  Sunset  Canada 


floating  hotel,  provides  novel  comforts  for  those  who 
wish  to  avail  themselves  of  its  hospitality,  instead  of 
returning  to  Alberni.  Large  fish  are  caught  in  the  large 
lakes  by  trolling,  but  larger  fish  are  caught  on  the  fly  as 
a  general  rule  in  the  streams  than  in  the  lakes.  In  the 
heat  of  midsummer,  when  the  rivers  are  low  and  fly- 
fishing is  barely  practicable,  except  in  the  early  morning 
and  late  evening,  excellent  sport  is  afforded  by  sea  trout 
in  the  estuaries.  These  sea  fish  average  heavy,  two- 
pounders  being  common,  three-pounders  by  no  means 
rare,  and  four  and  even  six-pounders  occasionally 
caught.  As  a  general  rule,  they  take  a  fly  well  even  in 
the  salt  water. 

Only  the  Cohoes  and  the  Spring  salmon  interest  the 
sportsman.  The  latter  is  the  finest  table  fish  and  attains 
a  great  weight  in  these  waters,  often  weighing  fifty 
pounds.  It  is  known  as  several  names  such  as  "  King," 
"Tyee"  and  "Chinook."  Twenty  to  thirty-pound  fish 
are  common  in  any  of  the  estuaries,  when  the  run  of 
"  Springs "  is  on.  These  salmon  are  caught  in  these 
waters  practically  all  the  year  around.  In  February  and 
March  there  is  a  run  to  the  rivers,  but  the  big  run  comes 
in  August,  September  and  October,  varying  in  date  ac- 
cording to  locality.  There  is  a  run  of  small  "  Cohoes  " 
in  May  and  June,  but  these  early  fish,  although  very  game, 
do  not  average  very  large.  The  big  run  of  "  Cohoes  " 
does  not  arrive  until  the  latter  part  of  September,  when 
their  number  is  legion  all  over  the  coast  and  the  sport  they 
give  is  superior  for  their  size  to  that  yielded  by  the 
*'  Springs,"  as  they  play  more  on  the  surface. 

At  least  most  of  the  foregoing  is  a  condensation  of 
the  advice,  suggestions  and  observations  of  fishermen  of 
extended  and  varied  experience,  who  have  passed  it  on 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 87 

to  the  Provincial  and  Island  authorities  for  the  aid  of 
amateur  anglers.  It  may  prove  to  be  more  helpful  than 
the  instructions  for  cooking  a  hare :  "  First  catch  your 
hare  " ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  simply  suggest 
other  means  of  luring  the  splendid  game  fish  of  the  region 
from  the  rivers  and  lakes.  Every  fisherman  has  his  own 
*'  style  "  of  fishing,  after  following  a  few  fundamental 
rules  of  the  sport,  and  a  part  of  his  pleasure  comes  from 
following  no  stereotyped  advice.  He  may  be  an  advice- 
giver  ;  but  he  rarely  accepts  it  willingly  from  others,  and 
when  he  does,  he  rarely  follows  it.  Around  Alberni  fish 
are  so  plentiful  that  there  is  a  v^ide  field  for  all  of  those 
little  "  experiments  "  in  which  anglers  delight,  with  a 
fairly  certain  promise  of  "  results."  If  all  else  should 
fail  in  the  cycles  of  a  year,  the  "  run  "  of  salmon  is  as 
dependable  as  the  changing  of  the  seasons.  And  it  ap- 
pears that  this  condition  has  not  altered  since  the  first 
v^hite  man  visited  the  Island's  coast  line.  John  Jewitt 
says  in  his  Journal,  published  in  1815:  "Such  is  the 
immense  quantity  of  these  fish  and  they  are  taken  with 
such  facility  that  I  have  know^n  upwards  of  2500  brought 
in  to  Maquinna's  (the  Chief's)  house  at  once;  and  at  one 
of  their  great  feasts  have  seen  one  hundred  or  more 
cooked  in  one  of  their  largest  tubs." 

Black  tail  deer  are  numerous  in  season  and  are  plenti- 
ful in  this  region.  It  is  illegal  to  hunt  them  with  dogs. 
Good  specimens  of  black  bear  are  occasionally  met  on 
the  road ;  but  it  usually  requires  dogs  and  a  guide  to  get 
them.  Wapiti  (American  elk)  are  met  with  occasion- 
ally, but  they  are  protected  for  a  term  of  years.  Cougar, 
known  variously  as  panther  or  mountain  lion,  are  plenti- 
ful. To  hunt  them  with  success,  it  is  necessary  to  employ 
guides  who  will  provide  suitable  dogs.     A  cougar  skin 


88  Sunset  Canada 


makes  a  handsome  trophy,  but  cougars  can  hardly  be 
classed  as  game.  The  provincial  government,  by  putting 
on  a  bounty  of  $15  a  head,  classes  them  as  vermin. 
Wolves,  both  black  and  gray,  are  found  in  northern  and 
northwestern  districts  of  Vancouver  Island,  but  are  sel- 
dom seen  by  the  casual  hunter.  The  bounty  is  the  same 
as  for  cougar. 

At  Alberni  one  has  not  the  opportunity  to  see  the  spec- 
tacular logging  operations  of  the  far  interior  where  trees 
are  sawed  down,  tumbled  over  the  mountainside  into  a 
rushing  river  and  sometimes  travel  fifty,  sixty  or  even 
a  hundred  miles,  before  they  are  gathered  by  a  chain  of 
logs  thrown  across  the  river;  but  there  is  the  chance  to 
see  the  harvesting  of  mighty  firs,  cedars  and  hemlocks, 
such  as  is  rarely  visible  close  to  a  city  entered  by  a  rail- 
road. The  former  is  bewildering  to  the  layman,  and 
the  logging  camp  at  Alberni's  doors  —  just  beyond  the 
bungalows  of  the  last  inhabited  street  —  is  thrilling.  In 
some  of  the  distant  camps  of  the  hinterland  logs  splash 
into  wild  streams  and  the  spring  thaw  carries  them  far 
on  their  ride  through  wild  country.  Sometimes  they 
jam  or  catch  on  the  rocks  and  balance  themselves  in  mid- 
stream defying  the  onward  rush  until  the  waters  fall  too 
low  for  them  to  float,  so  there  they  remain  until  an- 
other spring  thaw  brings  a  new  onrush  of  water.  The 
banks  of  some  of  the  rivers  are  strewn  with  this  precious 
timber ;  but  enough  has  found  its  way  through  to  supply 
the  jaws  of  the  great  sawmills,  and  nobody  seems  to 
care  about  the  possible  or  probable  loss.  Far  down  the 
stream  below  rapids  through  which  no  raft  could  ride  in 
safety  and  where  no  power  boat  would  venture,  the  logs 
are  caught  and  chained  into  huge  floats.  Sometimes 
these  are  so  large  that  a  temporary  shack  is  built  on  them 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 89 

and  the  men  who  guide  them  eat  and  sleep  aboard  the  raft 
on  its  course  further  down.  Sometimes  they  are  per- 
mitted to  drift  to  the  railroad  that  will  carry  them  to  the 
sawmill  and  sometimes  to  the  sawmill  itself,  where  they 
are  gathered  like  a  huge  carpet  over  the  river  or  estuary 
upon  which  the  mill  has  been  built.  Who  can  say  that 
the  wild  terrors  have  departed  from  far-western  life  when 
he  sees  these  lumberjacks  in  their  perilous  occupation? 
Comparatively  few  people  see  them,  however,  and  there 
are  few  places  where  the  larger  logging  operations  are 
visible,  unless  one  plunges  far  into  the  wilderness. 

Alberni's  surrounding  hills  are  so  covered  with  trees, 
however,  that  it  will  likely  be  possible  for  all  tourists 
who  visit  the  place  within  a  period  extending  over  many 
future  years.  It  is  not  the  old-fashioned  method  of 
sawing  the  trees  and  hauling  them  to  the  open  with  a 
twelve-horse  team.  A  standard  gauge  railroad  spur  has 
been  run  into  the  forest.  It  crosses  canyons  and  ravines 
that  are  piled  full  of  logs  as  supports  or  foundations, 
instead  of  bridges,  and  one  who  sees  the  locomotive  cross 
these  improvised  "  bridges  "  that  will  have  served  their 
purpose  as  soon  as  the  large  trees  have  been  felled,  ex- 
pects to  see  it  topple  from  the  rails  as  it  seesaws  over  the 
rough  "  right-of-way."  The  flat  cars  have  been  loaded 
with  the  giant  trees,  sometimes  five  or  six  of  them  piled 
upon  one  another  the  length  of  two  flat  cars.  The  engine 
is  coupled  on,  there  is  a  toot  of  the  whistle  as  a  signal 
and  off  the  strange  train  goes  circling  down  the  hillside 
to  the  water's  edge,  where  the  logs  are  rolled  into  the 
Canal  — "  where  they  can  be  more  easily  handled,"  ex- 
plains a  man  who  appears  to  be  in  charge  of  the  opera- 
tion. 

The  ease  with  which  these  forest  giants  are  manipu- 


90  Sunset  Canada 


lated  by  a  handful  of  men  is  astounding.  One  man  chops 
wood  and  feeds  a  stationary  engine  set  up  on  logs  near 
the  end  of  the  railroad  where  the  flat-cars  are  switched 
to  receive  their  load.  Another  man  stands  with  his  hand 
on  the  lever.  When  I  arrived,  I  could  not  see  where 
the  big  logs  came  from,  for  the  railroad  ended  in  a  small 
clearing  where  there  were  only  stumps  to  prove  that  the 
ground  had  once  been  a  "  stand  "  of  Douglas  fir.  It 
seemed  for  a  moment  that  operations  had  been  suspended 
and  that  I  had  arrived  too  late.  A  third  man,  smoking  a 
cigaret,  stood  near  the  empty  cars.  Then  there  was  a 
shrill  whistle  from  the  distance,  a  signal  for  the  man  at 
the  engine  to  do  something.  He  did  it,  and  I  observed 
what  I  had  not  seen  before;  there  was  a  steel  cable  at- 
tached to  the  engine  which  ran  to  the  top  of  a  solitary 
fir  which  had  been  left  standing,  and  then  stretched  far 
away  over  a  hill  into  the  dense  forest  beyond,  further 
than  I  could  see.  The  cable  tightened  and  the  tree  quiv- 
ered, almost  threatening  not  to  stand  the  strain,  but  it 
was  one  that  had  been  picked  because  its  roots  ran  far 
into  the  earth  and  it  was  held  upright  by  four  steel  cables 
attached  to  the  trunks  of  distant  trees.  It  strained  and 
creaked  as  the  cable  drew  tighter  and  tighter,  continuing 
to  wind  itself  around  a  huge  spool  or  winch.  Soon,  on 
a  distant  hill  in  the  direction  reached  by  the  cable,  the 
tree-tops  began  to  bend  and  rustle.  There  was  the  crack- 
ing of  many  limbs  and  the  breaking  of  many  branches  as 
a  gigantic  fir  log,  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  in  length,  came 
crashing  over  the  hill  the  heavy  end  in  the  air.  It  had 
been  sawed,  the  cable  attached  to  it,  the  signal  given  to 
the  engineer  and  it  had  started  on  its  defiant  way.  As  it 
reached  the  top  of  the  hill  it  bounded  against  other  trees 
and  the  impact  echoed  through  the  forest.     Small  trees 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 91 

that  impeded  its  progress  snapped  like  match-sticks  and 
fell  over.  On  and  on  the  monster  bounded  like  a  vessel 
ploughing  through  rough  seas,  and  presently  it  was  lying 
on  the  ground  beside  the  car  that  was  destined  to  carry  it 
to  the  mill.  The  man  who  had  been  smoking  a  cigaret 
stepped  forward,  twisted  cables  and  caught  hooks  in  its 
sides.  Another  whistle  and  it  rose  in  the  air  as  if  hesi- 
tating which  way  to  turn ;  but  the  cables  had  been  twisted 
by  an  expert,  and  in  righting  themselves  they  caused 
the  log  to  twist  until  it  hung  lengthwise,  directly  over  the 
two  cars.  The  man  at  the  engine  observed  this  and  let 
it  fall  gently  into  position,  as  easily  as  one  could  place 
a  toothpick  on  the  palm  of  his  hand.  There  was  no 
loud  talking,  no  expressions  of  wonder  when  this  mon- 
ster of  the  forest  came  crashing  toward  them.  A  fourth 
man  took  hold  of  the  cable,  which  was  slackened,  and 
started  off  over  the  hill  again.  There  were  a  few  min- 
utes of  calm,  similar  to  that  during  which  I  had  arrived, 
and  then  the  same  operation  was  repeated.  It  was  re- 
peated until  the  train  was  loaded  in  the  same  way  and 
then  the  locomotive  came  and  went  puffing  down  the  hill 
with  its  cargo  of  forest  giants.  It  was  "  all  in  a  day's 
work  "  as  one  of  the  men  explained  and  "  nothing  to  get 
excited  about."  To  them  it  was  as  simple  as  the  open- 
ing of  a  letter  by  an  office  man  seated  at  his  desk.  To 
me  it  was  one  of  the  most  spectacular  and  thrilling  opera- 
tions that  I  had  ever  beheld ! 

The  sawmill  is  similarly  interesting  to  the  traveler  be- 
cause of  the  immensity  of  most  of  the  operations,  for 
while  shingles,  lath  and  small  boards  are  manufactured 
in  the  various  departments,  the  chief  distinction  lies  in 
the  production  of  the  huge  square  beams  of  unbelievable 
length,  which  are  to  form  the  keels  of  ships  or  the  frames 


92  Sunset  Canada 


of  heavy  buildings  where  they  must  withstand  a  heavy 
strain  and  weight.  There  is  a  long  spiked  chain  that 
moves  slowly  from  the  top  of  an  incline  to  below  the 
water's  surface.  The  logs  are  ridden  by  turbanned  Hin- 
doos, who  easily  manipulate  them  with  spiked  poles  as 
they  are  floating  in  the  water.  They  are  directed  toward 
the  chain  end  on,  a  spike  catches  them  and  raises  them  a 
little,  then  another  spike  and  soon  the  giant  is  moving  up- 
ward toward  the  saws.  Arrived  at  the  exact  position, 
they  are  caught  in  a  vise,  a  Chinese  operator  touches  a 
lever  and  the  log  is  sawed  square  on  one  side,  the  bark 
slab  falling  to  an  endless  chain  that  carries  it  outside 
the  mill.  Another  lever  is  touched  and  the  log  flops  over 
on  its  square  side  again  as  easily  as  one  could  flip  a  match- 
stick.  As  it  travels  back  to  the  first  position,  the  second 
side  is  squared.  Back  and  forth  once  more  and  it  has 
become  a  gigantic  square  beam  in  less  time  than  it  takes 
to  tell  about  it.  A  series  of  rollers  start  it  on  its  way 
and  it  is  soon  in  the  yards  making  way  for  the  log,  the 
nose  of  which  has  just  caught  the  first  spike  in  the  chain 
that  rises  from  the  canal. 

The  refuse  passes  along  an  endless  chain  in  the  mill- 
yard,  where  Chinese  sorters  lift  out  the  pieces  which  are 
suitable  for  sawing  into  chunks  for  firewood;  but  the 
sawdust  and  smaller  fragments  proceed  along  the  route 
and  are  finally  raised  to  an  elevation  and  dropped  on 
the  fire  which,  like  the  flame  at  a  temple  altar,  is  eter- 
nally burning.  This  huge  flame  from  all  British  Colum- 
bia sawmills  seems  a  wanton  waste  of  fuel  where  fuel  is 
so  expensive;  but  it  seems  to  be  an  ancient  custom  to 
destroy  wood  wantonly  in  a  land  of  trees  and  the  prov- 
ince, like  other  well-forested  countries,  cannot  look  far 
enough  ahead  to  see  the  time  when  wood  will  be  scarce. 


•  < 


An  Unfulfilled  Prophecy 93 

It  is  reported,  however,  that  the  provincial  officials  are 
investigating  a  possible  method  of  utilizing  these  enor- 
mous quantities  and  other  refuse  now  burned  by  saw- 
mills by  converting  it  into  gas,  oils,  tar  and  charcoal 
through  destructive  distillation.  It  is  reported  that  ex- 
periments recently  conducted  by  the  chemistry  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Columbia  at  Vancouver  show 
that  out  of  one  cord  of  wood  it  is  possible  to  obtain  forty 
gallons  of  tar,  twenty  gallons  of  oil,  eighty  pounds  of 
acetate  of  lime  and  nine  hundred  pounds  of  charcoal. 

In  these  thickly  wooded  districts  of  British  Columbia 
stove  fuel  brings  almost  as  much  as  it  does  in  the  treeless 
sections  of  the  East.  One  is  not  permitted  to  use  the 
logs  that  have  fallen  and  will  soon  decay  on  the  vast 
timber  reserves  of  the  capitalists  who  live  far  away. 
Drift-wood  from  the  rivers  and  lakes  is  sawed  and 
chopped  by  Indians  —  and  sold  in  town  for  prices  that 
often  soar  beyond  five  dollars  a  cord.  An  ambitious 
resident  of  Alberni  told  me  that,  having  no  other  occu- 
pation during  a  couple  of  weeks  in  the  winter,  he  went 
to  the  Canal  and  sawed  and  chopped  his  own  fuel;  but 
when  he  paid  $14  for  cartage  he  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  better  to  pay  the  Indians  even  what  they 
charge  for  the  fuel.  And  still  the  great  fires  at  the  saw- 
mills flame  day  and  night,  like  active  volcanoes.  It  is 
the  traditional  practice,  and  no  man  is  rash  enough  to 
alter  it  until  he  is  compelled  to  do  so.  I  saw  a  Chinese 
timidly  approach  the  chain  that  leads  to  the  great  fire, 
pick  out  a  few  sticks  to  cook  his  rice  and  attempt  to 
carry  them  away;  but  the  loud  voice  of  a  foreman  told 
him  to  drop  them  and  he  retired  like  a  thief  who  had 
been  caught  with  his  booty. 

Day  after  day  there  is  something  in  this  delightful 


94  Sunset  Canada 


wilderness  to  attract  and  hold  the  traveler  and  he  may 
spend  a  pleasant  week  barely  aware  of  the  passing  time. 
One  who  enters  British  Columbia  should  do  so  via 
Victoria  the  front  door  as  before  noted;  but  even  then 
he  should  not  pass  too  quickly  through  the  portal  and 
beyond.  The  Island  tour  is  the  vestibule  just  inside  the 
gate,  and  visitors  will  be  well  paid  for  pausing  there  for 
at  least  a  glance  around,  before  crossing  the  threshold 
that  leads  to  the  Mainland  or  the  inner  beauties  of  the 
province. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
CAPTAIN  Vancouver's  namesake 

In  the  winter,  snow  fell  on  the  mountains  and  when 
spring  came  it  thawed  and  the  streams  of  water  ran  into 
the  valleys.  When  the  valleys  were  completely  sur- 
rounded by  a  rock  basin  the  water  accumulated  and 
formed  lakes,  but  water  seems  to  abhor  quiet  basins  and 
in  its  nervous  lapping  against  the  rock  and  sand  it  seeks 
release.  Finding  a  crevice  through  which  it  can  trickle 
it  soon  forces  a  passage  and  the  tiny  rivulet,  dripping  each 
minute  as  the  years  pass,  finally  forces  an  opening 
through  which  the  waters  gush.  Granite  walls  that  defi- 
antly hem  it  in  at  first  finally  give  way  before  what  seems 
to  be  the  resistless  force  of  water  rushing  from  a  moun- 
tainside. Deeper  and  deeper  it  carves  its  way  until  it 
becomes  a  mighty  river  rushing  to  the  ocean.  It  plunges 
against  mountains  of  rock,  and  where  they  are  impreg- 
nable it  rushes  around  their  bases,  seemingly  forces  chan- 
nels where  there  is  the  least  resistance;  but  always  flow- 
ing onward,  stopping  in  a  canyon  or  valley  only  long 
enough  to  fill  the  basin  and  then  repeat  previous  dashes 
for  the  sea,  seemingly  its  logical  destination. 

With  natural  instincts  the  animals  of  the  hills  followed 
these  water-courses  from  their  homes  in  the  timberland 
or  above  timber-line  to  the  green  meadows  fertilized  and 
watered  by  the  rivers  and  streams  that  flow  into  them. 
Then  when  the  Red  Men  came  to  the  impassable  districts 
they  followed  the  footprints  of  their  companions  of  the 
forest,  the  deer,  bear,  sheep  and  goat.     The  first  white 

95 


96  Sunset  Canada 


men  who  came  followed  the  lead  of  the  Indians  over 
these  trails  that  spanned  yawning  precipices  or  led  along 
shelves  of  rock  through  which  the  water  had  cut  its  way 
and  was  surging  below.  As  time  went  on,  the  Indians 
and  the  white  men  built  ladders  of  logs  to  scale  dan- 
gerous ledges  and  they  made  a  tiny  footpath  of  the  same 
materials  that  reached  from  one  side  of  ravines  to  the 
other.  The  moss  became  trampled  and  the  branches  of 
trees  were  torn  away  if  they  impeded  progress.  But  the 
first  animals  and  the  first  men  followed  the  snow  waters 
of  the  mountains  in  their  struggle  to  reach  the  sea. 

The  Indians  who  followed  the  animals  found  food, 
raiment  and  shelter  in  these  courses,  so  they  remained 
beside  the  rivers  or  where  the  rivers  met  the  sea.  The 
white  men  who  followed  the  Indians  found  gold,  so  they 
were  followed  by  other  white  men  who  gained  supremacy 
by  force  and  intellect  over  the  Red  Men.  Along  the 
difficult  trails  they  built  wagon  roads  and  bridges  to 
carry  the  gold  and  other  treasure  with  speed  and  safety, 
and  when,  as  elsewhere,  wagon  roads  were  followed  by 
the  railroad,  tlie  skill  of  surveyors  and  engineers  could 
not  discover  a  better  route  than  that  of  the  white  path- 
finders, who  followed  the  Red  Men,  who  followed  the 
animals,  who  followed  the  course  of  melted  mountain 
snows.  Thus  was  built  the  great  Canadian  Pacific  rail- 
way, which  crossed  the  mountains  and  linked  British 
Columbia  with  the  Canadian  prairie  provinces  and  the 
provinces  of  the  eastern  seaboard.  At  its  terminus  it 
was  desirable  for  the  railway  not  only  to  reach  the  mouth 
of  the  river  it  had  followed,  but  to  run  to  the  ocean's  brink 
where  mighty  steamers  from  the  Orient  and  Antipodes 
could  moor  at  piers  where  the  world's  commerce  could  be 
transferred  with  a  minimum  of  labour  and  time,  so  an  is- 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake         97 

land  and  rock-studded  channel  that  led  to  the  sea  was 
chosen.  Of  the  exact  spot,  Captain  George  Vancouver 
wrote  in  his  Journal  of  1792 :  "  The  shores  of  this  canal, 
which  after  Sir  Harry  Burrard  of  the  Navy  I  have  dis- 
tinguished by  the  name  of  Burrard's  Channel,  may  be 
considered  on  the  southern  side  of  a  moderate  height  and 
though  rocky  are  well  covered  with  trees  of  a  large 
growth,  principally  of  the  pine  tribe.  On  the  northern 
side  the  rugged  snowy  barrier  whose  base  we  had  now 
nearly  approached,  rose  very  abruptly  and  was  only  pro- 
tected from  the  sea  by  a  very  narrow  border  of  lowland." 

On  this  site  a  small  town  was  located,  an  insignificant 
little  village  known  as  Granville.  But  when  it  was  ac- 
cepted by  the  officials  as  the  terminus  of  the  railroad,  Sir 
W.  C.  Vanhorne,  the  chief  executive  of  the  company, 
suggested  that  the  name  be  changed  to  Vancouver,  hon- 
ouring the  young  man  who  did  more  to  add  this  vast 
northwestern  domain  to  the  British  Empire  than  any 
other.  The  suggestion  was  favourably  acted  upon  and  in 
1886  the  city  was  incorporated.  Its  growth  has  been 
as  great  as  that  of  any  city  on  earth  within  a  given  time 
and  its  well-wishers  boldly  prophesy  that  it  will  soon  be- 
come the  metropolis  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  Yet  a  little 
over  thirty  years  ago  it  was  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness 
and  there  was  no  man  wise  enough  to  look  off  to  the  east- 
ward at  snow-capped  mountains  and  dream  that  their 
streams  of  water  would  lead  the  march  of  civilization  and 
commerce  in  this  direction. 

Approaching  Vancouver  from  the  sea,  which  is  the 
advisable  route,  not  only  to  incoming  travelers  from  far 
corners  of  the  world,  but  to  those  American  tourists  who 
have  made  the  journey  to  the  coast  over  continental  rail- 
roads to  the  south  of  Canada  and  have  followed  the  coast- 


98  Sunset  Canada 


line  to  Seattle  and  thence  by  boat  to  Victoria,  one  obtains 
a  panoramic  impression  of  this  North  Pacific  metropolis 
that  will  not  be  forgotten  easily.  The  guide-books  say 
that  Vancouver  is  a  city  with  no  "  motif,"  that  it  lacks 
individual  character,  that  it  is  "  like  other  port  cities  " — 
which  is  manifestly  unfair  —  and  that  it  is  a  place  where 
Pacific  ocean  travelers  are  caught  in  the  net  for  a  day 
or  two,  so  that  the  hotels  and  merchants  may  reap  a 
profit  from  "  goers  and  comers."  English  writers  have 
declared  it  to  be  the  most  un-British  city  in  the  Brit- 
ish Empire  and  have  classed  it  with  Seattle,  Chicago 
and  New  York  as  a  "  city  of  dollars "  and  nothing 
more. 

All  of  these  declarations  of  opinion  are  right  and  thay 
are  wrong.  Compared  to  Victoria,  Vancouver  has  no 
"  motif,"  It  is  not  essentially  "  British  "  in  exterior  — 
not  professionally  British  at  any  rate  —  and  it  must  plead 
guilty  to  being  young.  But  it  is  a  lusty  youth,  and  one 
who  tarries  longer  than  between  trains  or  the  arrival 
of  the  steamer  and  the  departure  of  the  first  train,  will 
realize  that  it  does  not  lack  distinction  and  that  it  is  the 
symbol  of  the  Canadian  West  in  enduring  form.  Here 
are  centered  many  of  the  hopes  and  ambitions  of  a  vast 
imperial  domain.  Dollars  have  been  made  in  Vancouver, 
many  millions  of  them,  and  many  millions  have  been 
spent  in  crowning  the  hills  that  were  covered  with  trees 
less  than  a  half -century  ago  with  towering  sky-scrapers 
and  architectural  monuments  that  would  be  a  credit  to 
cities  that  date  their  beginnings  from  the  dawn  of  the 
Christian  era.  Vancouver  has  several  structures  that 
would  be  notable  in  London,  Paris  or  Berlin.  The  Van- 
couver Hotel,  for  example,  a  safifron-hued  pile  that  looms 
high  above  surrounding  high  buildings  and  that  is  visible 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake         99 

from  the  deck  of  incoming  steamers  when  they  are  far 
down  the  Bay,  would  be  counted  a  marvel  of  construc- 
tion amid  Rhenish  castles,  Venetian  villas  or  New  York 
hostelries.  Close  to  it  is  the  classic  courthouse  set  in 
spacious  grounds,  its  imposing  entrance  guarded  by  two 
colossal  white  lions.  And  around  it  are  splendid  group- 
ings of  hotels,  office  buildings,  and  shops  that  in  general 
appearance  compare  favourably  with  any  on  the  Ameri- 
can continent.  Vancouver  has  achieved  one  great  ambi- 
tion. After  little  more  than  a  quarter-century  of  real 
history  as  a  city  it  has  become  more  than  "  a  railway 
terminus  in  the  wilderness,"  more  than  *'  just  another 
port  city,"  it  is  a  spacious  and  thriving  metropolis.  It 
cannot  and  does  not  boast  of  its  past ;  but  it  rejoices  in  its 
present  and  sees  its  great  future  not  afar  off.  Already 
its  business  section  has  reached  far  into  residential  quar- 
ters and  many  hills  and  valleys  beyond  are  covered  with 
homes.  Across  the  Inlet,  another  hill  has  become  North 
Vancouver  and  is  already  taking  on  metropolitan  airs, 
which  is  likewise  true  of  West  Vancouver  —  both 
reached  by  ferry  and  occupying  positions  similar  to  Oak- 
land and  the  various  bay  cities  across  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  streets  are  wide  and  well  paved.  In  every 
way  Vancouver  seems  prepared  to  become  one  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  continent.  Even  those  vast  plots  of 
stumpage  in  the  outskirts,  which  cause  a  smirk  from  evil- 
wishers,  will  one  of  these  days  live  up  to  the  claims  of 
real  estate  boomers,  who  in  this  instance  do  not  seem  td 
be  false  prophets  but  men  whose  range  of  vision  carries 
further  ahead  than  they  care  to  admit  to  prospective  cus- 
tomers. Lay  down  a  map  of  the  world,  note  the  situa- 
tion of  the  most  prosperous  and  famous  cities,  and  it  will 
be  apparent  that  most  of  the.  geographical  and  natural 


100  Sunset  Canada 


advantages  are  in  Vancouver's  favour.  Forces  that  have 
contributed  to  the  making  of  great  centers  of  population 
are  working  speedily  and  energetically  with  Vancouver 
as  a  pivot. 

Preferably,  one  should  not  only  arrive  at  this  port  by 
steamer,  but  the  arrival  should  be  during  the  hours  of 
light.  The  cruise  over  the  Straits  of  Georgia  is  con- 
stantly in  view  of  "  land  "  on  a  clear  day,  for  Mainland 
is  visible,  and  the  steamer  plows  along  between  wooded 
islands  and  rocky  coves  that  are  a  suggestion  of  that 
rugged  scenery  that  awaits  travelers  north  from  Van- 
couver, to  Prince  Rupert  and  intermediate  points.  A 
hundred  ships  from  foreign  ports  might  lie  in  many  har- 
bours of  the  world  and  be  so  sheltered  and  cradled  at 
their  moorings  as  to  be  barely  discernible  from  any  given 
point  in  the  cities.  This  is  not  true  of  Vancouver.  The 
Inlet  is  more  spacious  than  it  may  appear  to  be  to  the 
stranger  because  it  is  surrounded  by  mountains  on  all 
sides  and  it  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  from  the  city  ex- 
actly the  location  of  the  small  channel  behind  the  islands 
through  which  the  steamer  has  passed  on  arrival  at  port. 
All  the  large  boats  in  the  harbour  are  visible  from  the 
city,  and  instead  of  appearing  diminished  in  size  on 
account  of  the  distance,  some  of  them  loom  to  large  pro- 
portions as  viewed  from  the  deck  of  an  incoming  boat, 
from  the  city  streets  or  from  the  windows  of  a  building 
that  commands  a  view  of  the  broad  harbour.  One  of  the 
"  Empress  "  boats  is  usually  lying  at  her  berth,  taking  an 
Oriental  cargo  for  the  long  cruise  to  Japan,  the  Philip- 
pines and  the  China  Coast.  The  three  yellow  funnels  are 
visible  from  all  parts  of  Vancouver,  and  it  is  unnecessary 
for  any  one  in  the  city  to  inquire  whether  or  not  one  of 
the  big  C.  P.  R.  floating  palaces  is  in  port. 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake       101 

Vancouver  calls  itself  "  The  Front  Door  of  Canada  " 
—  perhaps  with  its  tongue  in  its  cheek,  hoping  to  bring  a 
frown  or  rejoinder  from  Grandmother  Victoria  across 
the  Straits.  In  the  most  diverse  ways  she  claims  supe- 
riority. She  has  over  one  hundred  miles  of  cement  side- 
walks, over  one  hundred  miles  of  macadamized  or  paved 
roads,  the  largest  area  of  any  city  in  Canada,  the  birth- 
rate is  higher  than  in  any  city  of  the  continent,  in  giving 
Single  Tax  a  long  and  successful  trial  (it  has  been  writ- 
ten in  a  Single  Tax  Magazine  that  "  Vancouver  is  a  city 
set  upon  a  hill,  whose  light  cannot  be  hid  —  a  beacon 
to  guide  the  municipalities  of  the  world  into  the  haven  of 
righteousness  in  raising  pubhc  revenue"),  the  estimated 
population  of  what  is  known  as  "  Greater  Vancouver  " 
is  considerably  over  two  hundred  thousand,  she  has  eighty 
miles  of  water  frontage  and  forty  miles  of  anchorage,  the 
tonnage  of  the  port  has  increased  four  hundred  sixty- 
eight  per  cent,  in  the  last  five  years,  waterfalls  nearby 
provide  a  possible  supply  of  500,000  horse  power  of  which 
200,000  is  now  available,  she  has  a  water  supply  of  glacial 
origin  that  is  now  36,000,000  gallons  a  day  with  an  avail- 
able supply  of  100,000,000  gallons,  and  there  is  an  annual 
pay  roll  of  $14,000,000  from  industries  in  which  over 
$100,000,000  is  invested. 

These  are  not  figures  coming  from  a  city  statistician 
and  filed  away  for  reference  in  dusty  municipal  cup- 
boards. They  are  the  regular  conversation  of  the  or- 
dinary citizen  of  Vancouver;  he  loves  to  talk  in  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  and  millions.  When  he  decides  to 
make  his  home  in  the  city  it  is  as  if  he  took  an  oath 
to  join  the  chorus  of  civic  publicity  promoters.  He  is 
for  Vancouver  first,  last  and  all  the  time,  and  he  takes  it 
as  a  personal  affront  if  into  a  casual  conversation  slips 


102  Sunset  Canada 


the  slightest  suggestion  that  the  visitor  does  not  consider 
it  the  superlative  degree  in  everything,  the  ideal  toward 
which  the  world  has  been  struggling  for  thousands  of 
years.  One  suggests  that  the  climate  is  not  exactly  to  his 
liking,  if  he  be  a  tactless  person  and  unfortunately 
chance  to  arrive  in  the  city  during  one  of  those  frightful 
downpours  that  continue  day  and  night  for  a  week,  and 
the  loyal  citizen  replies :  "  When  it  rains  in  the  East 
you  call  it  mist,  and  when  it  rains  in  Vancouver  you  say 
there  is  a  continuous  downpour  for  days.  Remember 
that  the  official  figures  show  that  our  winters  are  as  mild 
as  those  of  Atlanta,  Georgia.  There  is  no  better  climate 
in  the  world !  " 

Figures  and  the  superlative  degree  of  all  adjectives  in 
the  language!  One  never  dreamed  of  so  many  of  them 
before,  never  heard  so  many  of  them  used  in  conversa- 
tion. The  citizen  of  Vancouver  exudes  them  as  natur- 
ally as  he  breathes.  And  the  strange  result  is  that  it  does 
not  convey  the  impression  that  he  is  boasting.  One  does 
not  accept  it  as  hraggadacio.  Rather,  it  seems  to  be  the 
natural  exuberance  of  youth,  like  the  college  boy  who 
returns  to  tell  of  his  victories  in  the  field  or  classroom. 
Likely  as  not  the  stranger  becomes  sufficiently  inter- 
ested to  "  check  up  "  or  recapitulate  and  finds  that  he  has 
heard  more  truth  than  fiction.  The  city  has  expanded  so 
rapidly,  stretched  itself  so  far  beyond  expectations  and 
expanded  into  so  many  channels  that  could  not  have  been 
anticipated  by  its  founders,  that  every  one  takes  a  per- 
sonal pride  in  its  greatness  and  considers  it  a  pleasure, 
rather  than  a  duty,  to  extol  its  virtues,  much  as  one  would 
feel  love  for  parents  who  reared  him.  They  feel  about 
it  as  the  psalmist  felt  about  Jerusalem  when  he  beheld  it 
from  Mount  Olivet  and  rhapsodized:     "Beautiful  for 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake       103 

situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth  is  Mount  Zion,  the 
City  of  the  Great  King." 

At  the  top  of  the  mountain  overlooking  the  entrance 
to  the  harbour  there  are  two  peaks  that  when  viewed  in 
certain  lights  resemble  the  forms  of  lions,  which  has 
been  seized  upon  as  the  opportunity  for  giving  the  chan- 
nel at  this  point  the  name  of  "  Gateway  of  the  Lions." 
It  appears,  however,  that  there  is  an  ancient  Indian  legend 
attached  to  these  "  lions,"  which  calls  them  the  "  Two 
Sisters."  Pauline  Johnson,  the  Indian  poetess,  relates 
it  in  one  of  her  books  and  says  she  had  it  from  Chief  Joe 
Capilano,  with  whom  she  could  converse  in  the  Chinook 
tongue.  While  the  language  of  the  legend  seems  to  be 
that  of  the  poetess,  and  not  a  very  literal  translation  of 
the  story  as  it  was  related  to  her,  there  remains  in  it  much 
of  the  traditional  Indian  manner  and  it  seems  a  fairly 
typical  example  of  the  stories  that  were  heard  over  an- 
cient campfires;  those  tales  of  the  days  when  rocks,  trees, 
rivers,  fish,  birds  and  animals  close  companions  of  the 
Red  Men,  had  souls  and  tongues,  when  they  passed 
through  experiences  of  life  similar  to  those  of  men. 
Pauline  Johnson  was  the  daughter  of  the  head  chief  of 
the  Six  Nations  and  an  English  woman.  She  traveled 
extensively,  and  in  late  life  came  to  reside  in  Vancouver, 
which  she  loved.  She  wrote  pretty  verses  about  the 
new  city  and  its  environs  and  she  put  down  on  paper 
many  legends  that  came  to  her  from  the  Indians,  but 
which  she  "  adapted  "  into  fluent  prose.  Before  she  died, 
she  requested  that  she  be  cremated  and  that  her  ashes 
be  deposited  in  Stanley  Park,  which  was  the  scene  of  so 
much  of  interest  in  Indian  traditions.  Of  the  "  Two 
Sisters,"  she  relates : 

"  It  was  many  thousands  of  years  ago  that  the  great 


104  Sunset  Canada 


Tyee  had  two  daughters  that  grew  to  womanhood  at  the 
same  springtime  when  the  first  great  run  of  salmon 
thronged  the  rivers,  and  the  ollalHe  bushes  were  heavy 
with  blossoms.  These  daughters  were  young,  lovable 
and  oh  very  beautiful!  Their  father,  the  great  Tyee, 
prepared  to  make  a  feast  such  as  the  coast  had  never 
seen.  There  were  to  be  days  and  days  of  rejoicing,  the 
people  were  to  come  for  many  leagues,  were  to  bring  gifts 
of  great  value  to  the  girls  and  to  receive  gifts  from  the 
chief,  and  hospitality  was  to  reign  as  long  as  pleasuring 
feet  could  dance,  and  enjoying  lips  could  laugh,  and 
mouths  partake  of  the  excellence  of  the  chief's  fish,  game 
and  ollallies.  The  only  shadow  on  the  joy  of  it  all 
was  war,  for  the  tribe  of  the  great  Tyee  was  at  war  with 
the  upper  coast  Indians,  those  who  lived  north,  near  what 
is  named  by  the  paleface  as  the  port  of  Prince  Rupert. 
Giant  war  canoes  slipped  along  the  entire  coast,  war 
parties  paddled  up  and  down,  war  songs  broke  the  silences 
of  the  nights,  hatred,  vengeance,  strife,  and  horror  fes- 
tered everywhere  little  sores  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
But  the  great  Tyee,  after  warring  for  weeks,  turned  and 
laughed  at  the  battle  and  the  bloodshed,  for  he  had  been 
victor  in  every  encounter  and  he  could  well  afford  to  leave 
the  strife  for  a  brief  week  and  feast  in  his  daughters' 
honour,  nor  permit  any  near  enemy  to  come  between  him 
and  the  traditions  of  his  race  and  household.  So  he 
turned  insultingly  deaf  ears  to  their  warcries;  he  ignored 
wnth  arrogant  indifference  their  paddle  dips  that  en- 
croached within  his  own  coast  waters,  and  he  prepared  as 
a  great  Tyee  should,  to  royally  entertain  his  tribesmen 
in  honour  of  his  daughters.  But  seven  suns  before  the 
great  feast,  these  two  maidens  came  before  him,  hand 
clasped  in  hand. 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake       105 

** '  Oh,  our  father,'  they  said,  *  may  we  speak?  ' 

"  *  Speak  my  daughters,  my  girls  with  the  eyes  of  April, 
the  hearts  of  June.'  (Early  Spring  and  early  summer 
would  be  the  more  accurate  Indian  phrasing.) 

"  *  Some  day,  oh  our  father,  we  may  mother  a  man- 
child  who  may  grow  to  be  such  a  powerful  Tyee  as  you 
are,  and  for  this  honour  that  may  some  day  be  ours  we 
have  come  to  crave  a  favour  of  you  —  you,  oh  our  father.' 

"  *  It  is  your  privilege  at  this  celebration  to  receive  any 
favour  your  hearts  may  wish,'  he  replied  graciously, 
placing  his  fingers  beneath  their  girlish  chins.  *  The 
favour  is  yours  before  you  ask  it,  my  daughters.' 

"  *  Will  you  for  our  sakes,  invite  the  great  northern 
hostile  tribe  —  the  tribe  you  war  upon,  to  this  our  feast?  ' 
they  asked  fearlessly. 

"  *  To  a  peaceful  feast,  a  feast  in  honour  of  women?  ' 
he  exclaimed  incredulously. 

"  '  So  we  would  desire  it,'  they  answered. 

"  *  And  so  shall  it  be,'  he  declared.  *  I  can  deny  you 
nothing  this  day  and  some  time  you  may  bear  sons  to 
bless  this  peace  you  have  asked,  and  to  bless  their  moth- 
ers' sire  for  granting  it.' 

"  Then  he  turned  to  all  the  young  men  of  the  tribe 
and  commanded,  *  build  fires  at  sunset  on  all  the  coast 
headlands  —  fires  of  welcome.  Man  your  canoes  and 
face  the  North,  greet  the  enemy  and  tell  them  that  I, 
the  Tyee  of  the  Capilanos,  ask  —  no,  command  —  that 
they  join  me  for  a  great  feast  in  honour  of  my  two 
daughters.' 

"  And  when  the  northern  tribe  got  this  invitation,  they 
flooded  down  the  coast  to  this  feast  of  the  Great  Peace. 
They  brought  their  women  and  their  children,  they 
brought  game  and  fish,  gold  and  white  stone  beads,  bas- 


106  Sunset  Canada 


kets  and  carved  ladles  and  wonderful  woven  blankets  to 
lay  at  the  feet  of  their  now  acknowledged  ruler,  the  great 
Tyee.  And  he,  in  turn,  gave  such  a  potlatch  that  noth- 
ing but  tradition  can  vie  with  it.  There  were  long,  glad 
days  of  rejoicing,  long  pleasurable  nights  of  dancing  and 
campfires  and  vast  quantities  of  food.  The  war  canoes 
were  emptied  of  the  deadly  weapons  and  filled  with  the 
daily  catch  of  salmon.  The  hostile  war  songs  ceased  and 
in  their  places  were  heard  the  soft  shuffle  of  dance  feet, 
the  singing  voices  of  women,  the  playgames  of  the  chil- 
dren of  two  powerful  tribes,  which  had  been  until  now 
ancient  enemies,  for  a  great  and  lasting  brotherhood  was 
sealed  between  them  —  their  war  songs  were  ended  for- 
ever. Then  the  Sagalie  Tyee  smiled  on  his  Indian  chil- 
dren :  *  I  will  make  these  young-eyed  maidens  im- 
mortal,' He  said.  In  the  cup  of  His  Hands,  He  lifted  the 
chief's  two  daughters  and  set  them  forever  in  a  high 
place,  for  they  had  borne  two  ofifsprings  —  peace  and 
brotherhood  —  each  of  which  is  now  a  great  Tyee  rul- 
ing this  land.  And  on  the  mountain  crest  the  chief's 
daughters  can  be  seen  wrapped  in  the  suns,  the  snows, 
the  stars  of  all  seasons,  for  they  have  stood  in  this  high 
place  for  thousands  of  years  and  will  stand  for  thousands 
of  years  to  come,  guarding  the  peace  of  the  Pacific  coast 
and  the  quiet  of  the  Capilano  Canyon." 

Vancouver  has  a  remarkable  asset  in  Stanley  Park, 
easily  within  walking  distance  from  the  piers,  depots  and 
principal  business  streets,  but  reached  by  tram  and  various 
motor  conveyances  that  deposit  their  passengers  at  the 
rustic  entrance  built  of  limbs  and  trees  and  appropriately 
inviting  pedestrians  to  roads  and  paths  of  corduroy  cov- 
ered with  gravel  that  lead  through  great  tangles  of  ferns 
and  undergrowth  to  the  giant  trees,  which  are  one  of  the 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake       107 

wonders  of  the  entire  province,  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
and  perhaps  of  the  world,  because  it  is  claimed  that  such 
colossal  vegetation  does  not  exist  elsewhere  in  this  lati- 
tude. Although  it  is  a  much  frequented  park  and  is 
properly  within  the  city  limits,  those  in  authority  have 
wisely  left  it  the  jungle  that  it  was  when  the  first  white 
men  passed  this  way.  The  paths  are  well  kept,  but  for 
miles  they  are  arched  by  the  canopy  of  rank  green,  and 
frequently  by  layer  on  layers  or  tier  upon  tier  of  foilage, 
while  in  many  places,  two  yards  away  from  the  walk  are 
masses  of  tumbled  over  tree  giants,  passing  to  decay  and 
permitting  the  mold  of  their  trunks  and  roots  to  be  pene- 
trated by  the  roots  of  masses  or  ferns,  moss  and  fungus 
that  form  a  bewildering  maze  from  which  the  tenderfoot 
would  find  his  way  out  with  difficulty.  Huge,  crisp  leaves 
of  skunk-cabbage,  resembling  the  canna  of  domestic  flow- 
erbeds, borders  the  underlying  logs  of  the  paths.  Now 
and  then  a  flower  or  flowering  shrub  shows  itself  through 
the  dense  shade,  but  seems  to  do  so  with  difficulty.  The 
air  in  the  huge  forest  on  a  summer  day  is  that  of  a  hot- 
house. The  moisture  seems  to  rise  from  the  earth  and 
emit  the  odor  of  aromatic  spruces,  resins,  balsams  and 
pitch  that  reaches  the  nostrils  when  pine  needles  are  rolled 
in  the  hands. 

Layer  on  layer  the  green  branches  sway  in  the  breeze 
that  usually  floats  in  from  the  sea,  the  leaves  of  plants 
at  the  side  of  the  path,  the  shrubs,  the  trees  that  shed  their 
leaves,  such  as  beeches  and  maples,  the  firs,  pines,  cedars, 
that  tower  above  them,  and  then  high  above  the  fir 
monarchs,  which  are  the  pride  of  Pacific  coast  forests, 
are  the  giant  trees  that  have  made  Stanley  Park  known 
around  the  world.  One  tree  reaches  the  amazing  circum- 
ference of  fifty-four  feet  and  seems  at  its  base  to  be  a 


108  Sunset  Canada 


round  building  until  one  follows  its  towering  trunk  sky- 
ward and  observes  where  huge  limbs  leave  the  parent 
trunk  and  wave  their  plumes  of  green.  There  are  several 
"  largest "  trees  in  this  one-thousand-acre  forest  which 
juts  out  into  the  waters  of  the  bay,  and  a  well-made  log 
and  gravel  path  leads  close  to  all  of  them.  First  of  all, 
one  comes  upon  a  group  of  seven  monarchs  known  as  the 
"  Seven  Sisters."  Primitive  f^at  arches  of  logs,  a  railing 
of  the  same  and  square-hewn  logs  for  benches  are  the 
sole  furniture  of  this  mighty  cathedral  in  which  there  is 
perpetual  music  by  the  wind.  One  takes  his  pew,  if  he 
chances  to  have  come  on  a  day  when  there  are  few  visi- 
tors, as  I  have  done  on  three  occasions  scattered  over 
fifteen  years.  A  gray-coated  water-fowl  from  the  bay 
soars  over  the  tree-tops  and  chants  his  low,  monotonous 
vespers,  while  smaller  birds  of  the  forest,  sweet  singers 
in  gay  surplices,  seem  to  be  the  acolytes  and  choristers. 
This  cathedral  with  the  mystic  number  of  pillars  reminds 
one  of  the  remnants  of  that  colossal  temple  of  Jupiter  at 
Baalbek,  Syria.  One  was  the  sublime  creation  of  na- 
ture, and  the  other  was  the  work  of  man  who  learned  the 
secret  of  the  towering  pillar  and  cornices  roof  from  for- 
ests trees  and  crowning  foliage.  And,  strangely  enough, 
the  scientists  no  doubt  could  date  the  building  of  the  Baal- 
bek temple  of  stone  from  the  same  period  as  the  be- 
ginning of  this  "  Seven  Sister "  Cathedral  in  Stanley 
Park. 

At  the  outskirts  of  the  park  there  are  nurseries  where 
there  are  formal  gardens  of  flowers  and  flowering  shrubs, 
there  are  refreshment  pavilions  and  a  rather  limited  col- 
lection of  animals,  the  conventional  beginnings  of  a  city's 
outdoor  "  attractions."  One  encounters  them  elsewhere 
and  they  will  attract  but  a  glance  from  the  eastern  visi- 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake        109 

tor.  The  real  thrill,  the  distinctive  feature  of  Stanley 
Park  as  compared  to  other  parks  of  the  world,  comes  after 
one  has  penetrated  beyond  log  gateways  and  immediately 
falls  back  one  thousand  years  to  a  forest  that  remains 
much  as  it  was  when  Christopher  Columbus  was  seeking 
a  passage  to  the  Indies. 

Throughout  the  park  there  are  well-marked  trails  that 
lead  over  waterways  bridged  by  logs  in  corduroy  fash- 
ion, where,  if  one  has  not  been  in  Japan,  he  is  likely  to 
imagine  that  he  has  come  upon  the  original  views  of  the 
Hiroshige  drawings.  Above,  are  the  tall  firs  and  cedars 
and  along  the  meandering  narrow  streams,  so  suggestive 
of  those  that  clatter  down  the  Japanese  mountains,  the 
natural  beauty  has  been  retained,  logs  lie  helter-skelter, 
sometimes  fallen  across  the  streams  and  by  the  aid  of 
birch  poles  as  railings  have  become  bridges,  huge  bowlders 
are  as  perhaps  they  fell  from  glaciers  thousands  of  years 
ago,  huge  tropical  waxen  leaves  of  the  skunk  cabbage  bank 
themselves  along  the  edges  of  streams  not  more  than  four 
feet  wide,  yet  deep  and  rapid  —  it  is  all  as  if  made  by 
some  landscape  architect,  inspired  by  the  Japanese  gar- 
dens, which  in  turn  were  inspired  by  West  Lake  and  the 
environs  at  Hangchow,  the  ancient  capital  of  China. 

The  late  Elbert  Hubbard,  who  usually  etched  an  exact 
portrait  when  he  guided  the  pen,  wrote :  "  There  are 
parks  and  parks,  but  there  is  no  park  in  the  world  that 
will  exhaust  your  stock  of  adjectives  and  subdue  you  into 
silence  like  Stanley  Park  at  Vancouver." 

It  is  probably  on  the  program  of  all  visitors  to  go  to 
the  park  soon  after  they  have  placed  their  names  on  hotel 
registers ;  and  it  is  likewise  on  the  program  of  many  to 
pay  it  at  least  a  farewell  visit  before  departing.  Sight- 
seeing automobiles  and  tram-cars  make  the  trip  conven- 


110  Sunset  Canada 


ient  for  those  who  are  in  a  hurry  to  reach  the  gates ;  but 
it  is  pleasanter  to  approach  it  on  foot,  and,  when  there 
is  leisure  enough,  to  follow  its  entire  water  line  and  to 
follow  its  shady  pathways  wherever  they  have  been  made 
to  lead  by  a  wise  guide.  On  the  northern  side  is  a  rock 
that  juts  out  from  the  surrounding  ledge  and  at  high  tide 
seems  to  be  surrounded  by  water.  It  is  not  particularly 
distinctive  in  the  landscape  of  the  West  Coast ;  but  it  has 
been  made  locally  famous,  at  least,  by  amateur  and  pro- 
fessional photographers  who  have  "  snapped  "  it  from  all 
angles.  Thus  it  has  happened  that  no  portfolio  of 
"  Views  of  Vancouver  "  is  complete  without  a  page  de- 
voted to  "  Siwash  Rock,"  the  shop  windows  where  photo- 
graphs are  displayed  feature  it,  and  it  has  become  a  popu- 
lar background  for  tourists'  photographs,  so  that  its  fame 
has  reached  far  and  it  has  become  one  of  the  "  sights  " 
for  which  all  visitors  inquire  when  they  are  on  their  way 
to  the  Big  Trees  or  the  bathing  pavilion  at  English  Bay, 
if  they  go  by  the  circuitous  drive  around  the  Park.  A 
small  evergreen  tree  —  or  several  of  them  in  a  clump  — 
springs  from  the  rock,  and  it  was  this  fact,  perhaps, 
that  gave  it  its  "  legend,"  -for  Siwash  Rock,  like  the  per- 
son of  great  prominence  who  discovers  that  he  has  a 
"  family  tree,"  has  its  legend,  which  probably  was  born 
after  the  city  fathers  of  Vancouver  decided  to  make  a 
park  of  the  surrounding  territory. 

According  to  the  legend,  there  was  a  young  chief  who 
visited  a  northern  tribe  to  claim  one  of  its  maidens  for  a 
bride.  They  were  married,  and  in  time  their  tepee  was 
to  be  blest  with  a  child.  There  was  an  ancient  custom 
that  before  the  birth  of  the  child  both  parents  should 
bathe,  so  that  no  animal  could  scent  them.  The  wife, 
leaving  her  husband  in  the  water,  went  to  the  land  and 


SIWASH    ROCK,    STANLEY    PARK.    VANCOUVER. 


Captain  Vancouver's  Namesake       111 


the  husband  must  wait  until  he  heard  the  cry  of  the  in- 
fant before  he  could  follow  her.  As  the  young  chief 
and  his  wife  were  very  good  and  respecters  of  the  an- 
cient customs,  they  were  undergoing  this  order  of  purifica- 
tion. The  wife  had  reached  land  and  the  expectant 
young  chief  was  swimming  in  the  water,  listening  for 
the  signal  that  would  delight  him.  At  this  moment  a 
large  war  canoe  came  near  him.  In  it  were  four  giants, 
emissaries  of  the  Deity.  They  shouted  to  him  to  go  to 
shore,  because  it  was  well  known  that  if  a  mortal  touched 
the  canoe,  its  occupants  would  become  human.  The 
young  chief  refused  and  explained  the  reason.  The 
giants  took  counsel  and  decided  that  as  he  was  a  wicked 
man  he  must  be  turned  into  stone,  the  fate  of  all  wicked 
men,  because  stones  do  not  give  life  or  protection  to  liv- 
ing beings,  whereas  the  spirits  of  good  men  go  into  trees, 
so  that  they  may  continue  their  ministrations  of  good  to 
the  living.  Suddenly  they  heard  the  cry  of  a  child  and 
the  young  chief  started  for  the  land,  but  before  he 
reached  it  he  was  turned  to  stone  —  Siwash  Rock. 
It  was  a  decree  of  the  gods  and  could  not  be  altered; 
but  he  had  been  so  good  in  life  that  a  tree,  the  symbol 
of  goodness,  sprouted  from  the  rock,  that  all  who  passed 
that  way  might  know  that  he  suffered  the  supreme  penalty 
for  defying  the  emissaries  of  the  Deity,  but  until  that 
time  had  been  a  model  of  all  the  virtues.  In  the  vicinity 
there  are  only  two  other  rocks  that  resemble  Siwash  and 
these  are  his  young  wife  and  their  child,  for  the  innocents 
also  suffered  for  the  sin  of  the  husband  and  father. 

One  may  pleasantly  spend  three  or  four  days  in  Van- 
couver and  not  venture  beyond  the  city  limits.  In  an 
earlier  day  It  was  the  custom  of  most  travelers  to  make 
it  merely  a  transfer  point  from  train  to  steamer  or  from 


112  Sunset  Canada 


steamer  to  train;  but  this  has  been  altered,  and  many 
tourists  bound  for  the  Orient  now  arrange  their  itineraries 
to  spend  several  days  amid  the  attractive  scenes  of  this 
port,  although  they  are  anticipating  greater  novelties  in 
foreign  ports.  There  is  nothing  with  age  about  the  city, 
with  the  exception  of  its  ancient  trees;  but  there  is  a 
hustle,  a  spic  and  span-ness,  the  newness  of  fresh  paint 
about  everything,  that  is  agreeable  to  the  stranger  who 
is  about  to  plunge  into  landscapes  that  threaten  scenic  in- 
digestion. 

A  pamphlet  is  handed  to  incoming  passengers  on  steam- 
ers and  trains,  entitled  "  Captain  Vancouver  Welcomes 
You  To  The  Pacific  Coast."  The  title  is  an  inspiration, 
for  it  is  literally  true.  The  captain  lies  in  his  tomb,  but 
the  city  that  bears  his  name  not  only  "  welcomes  "  stran- 
gers, but  extends  a  cordial  invitation  for  a  long,  friendly, 
old-fashioned  visit 


CHAPER  IX 

"  THE    ROYAL    CITY  " 

The  "  old  worthies  "  as  the  Honourable  Adventurers 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  were  popularly  known  in 
England,  held  tenaciously  to  their  royal  charter  and 
jealously  attempted  to  monopolize  every  mile  of  the 
vast  domain  of  Canada  as  soon  as  their  own  men  or  other 
explorers  extended  the  field  toward  the  West.  As  their 
profits  increased,  in  the  same  proportion  the  attacks  upon 
them  became  more  numerous,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
As  time  went  it  became  apparent  that  many  of  the  at- 
tacks, aiming  to  mold  public  opinion,  had  been  fostered 
by  interests  which  threatened  to  become  frank  and  bold 
rivals  in  the  business  of  fur  collecting  over  a  territory 
that  the  older  company  seemed  to  deem  its  own  by  almost 
"  divine  right." 

The  London  Quarterly  Reviezv,  1816,  says:  We  can- 
not join  in  the  praise  ascribed  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany whose  only  merits  (if  they  have  any)  are,  at  any 
rate  of  the  negative  kind.  Their  total  disregard  of  every 
object  for  which  they  obtained  and  have  now  held  a 
royal  charter  for  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
entitles  them  to  anything  but  praise.  The  great  leading 
feature  on  which  their  petition  for  an  exclusive  charter 
was  grounded,  the  discovery  of  a  North-West  Passage 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  has  not  only  been  totally 
neglected,  but,  unless  they  have  been  grossly  calumniated, 
thwarted  to  every  means  in  their  power." 

113 


114  Sunset  Canada 


Reports  reached  the  company  that  the  French  were 
steadily  pushing  westward  from  the  Great  Lakes,  en- 
deavouring to  intercept  the  fleets  of  Indian  canoes  laden 
with  furs  for  the  traders  on  Hudson's  Bay.  The  "  bour- 
geois du  Nord-Ouest/'  as  they  were  known  in  Montreal, 
seemed  to  be  the  most  serious  of  these  rival  concerns 
and  but  for  various  strategic  moves  on  the  part  of  the 
older  company  the  Northwest  Company  would  have 
gained  complete  control  of  fur  trading  in  the  Far  West. 
The  founder  of  this  company  was  Simon  M'Tavish,  who 
was  born  in  the  Scottish  highlands  in  1750.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  fur  trade  from  Montreal  immediately  after 
the  cession  of  Canada  to  England  and  formed  the  com- 
bination with  several  other  men  who  had  been  independ- 
dent  fur-traders  in  the  Northwest. 

M'Tavish,  a  dominating  person  known  among  his 
associates  as  "  Le  Marquis,"  made  many  enemies,  and 
some  of  these  formed  themselves  into  another  rival  con- 
cern known  in  the  fur  trade  as  the  "  X-Y  Company." 
One  of  the  leading  spirits  of  this  concern  was  young  Alex- 
ander Mackenzie,  who  was  to  become  the  explorer  of  the 
great  river  that  bears  his  name.  At  the  death  of  M'Tav- 
ish, however,  the  rivalry  ceased  and  a  union  took  place 
between  the  two  companies,  to  combat  the  strength  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  company.  Young  Mackenzie's  first  jour- 
ney of  consequence  was  to  Detroit.  He  had  soon  pressed 
westward  to  the  Athabasca  district  and  north  to  Great 
Slave  Lake  and  Peace  River.  Then  he  decided  to  reach 
the  shores  of  the  Arctic  ocean,  but  along  the  route  of  a 
river  which  the  Indians  assured  him  was  as  large  as  the 
Saskatchewan.  His  Journals  show  that  he  traveled  two 
hundred  and  seventy-two  miles  in  less  than  one  week. 
On  June  30,  1789,  he  was  on  the  Mackenzie  River.     On 


"  The  Royal  City  " 115 

July  14  he  almost  reached  the  sea,  which  was  in  sight, 
but  on  July  i6  "  turned  back,"  as  his  diary  records,  and 
no  reason  for  doing  so  has  ever  been  found.  He  was 
back  to  the  fort  from  which  he  started  in  one  hundred 
and  two  days,  having  covered  a  distance  of  3,000  miles. 
Several  later  voyages  followed,  and  in  time  Mackenzie 
reached  Pacific  tidewater  at  Bella  Coola.  He  followed 
the  coast  for  two  days  and  when  he  arrived  at  Vancou- 
ver's Cascade  Canal  took  vermillion  and  melted  grease 
and  wrote  on  a  rock :  Alexander  Mackenzie  from  Can- 
ada by  land  22  July,  lyg^.  It  was  a  memorable  date  in 
Canadian  history,  as  he  was  the  first  white  man  to  cross 
the  northern  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean.  By  degrees 
the  great  territory  was  being  explored  by  the  intrepid  fur 
merchants,  either  the  representatives  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  or  its  great  rival,  the  Northwest  Company,  the 
rivalry  always  goading  them  to  greater  efifort. 

In  1805  a  young  man  named  Simon  Fraser  was  selected 
by  the  Northwest  Company  to  assume  charge  of  its  field 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  when  it  was  decided  to  in- 
vade that  territory  opposing  the  "  oppressor,  monopoly, 
intriguing  aristocrats  "  or  the  "  smug  old  lady,"  as  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  referred  to  at  the  time. 
After  establishing  several  forts  in  territory  now  known 
as  British  Columbia,  Fraser  organized  an  exploration 
party  and  discovered  the  mighty  river  that  bears  his  name, 
which  he  believed  to  be  the  Columbia,  but  which  he  fol- 
lowed toward  its  mouth  and  thus  pointed  the  way  for 
epoch-making  events  of  the  future.  The  river  rises  in 
the  Rocky  ]\Iountains  and  runs  almost  due  west  for  two 
hundred  miles,  them  southerly  through  the  Cariboo,  Lil- 
looet  and  Yale  districts,  until  near  Chilliwack  it  turns 
abruptly  to  the  west  and  finds  a  broad  outlet  to  the  Pacific 


116  Sunset  Canada 


through  the  Gulf  of  Georgia.  Its  total  length  is  about 
seven  hundred  fifty  miles,  and  it  is  one  of  the  im- 
portant rivers  of  the  continent. 

Simon  Fraser's  river  played  an  important  part  in  the 
making  of  British  Columbia  and  its  two  principal  cities, 
Victoria  and  Vancouver.  It  was  the  discovery  of  gold 
along  the  Fraser's  channel  that  suddenly  turned  Fort 
Victoria  of  the  fur-traders  into  a  populous  city,  and  it 
was  the  same  channel  that  marked  the  westward  course 
of  the  railroad  through  the  mountains,  linking  the  prov- 
ince with  the  rest  of  Canada  and  giving  birth  to  Vancou- 
ver at  the  western  terminus.  The  rush  of  the  gold-hunt- 
ers made  a  mainland  capital  advisable  for  the  malntain- 
ance  of  peace  and  order,  so  the  present  site  of  New  West- 
minster was  chosen,  land  about  twelve  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  which  at  this  point  more  nearly  re- 
sembles a  wide  bay  than  a  river,  giving  the  place  a  fresh 
water  harbour  navigable  for  vessels  drawing  twenty  feet. 

Immediately  there  arose  dispute  in  regard  to  the  name 
to  be  given  the  new  city.  There  was  a  desire  to  "  hon- 
our "  Queen  Victoria,  but  as  the  capital  of  Vancouver 
Island  had  already  appropriated  that,  the  first  choice 
fell  on  Queenborough,  but  this  seemed  to  be  too  nearly 
a  paraphrase  of  Victoria,  which  assumed  to  be  the  only 
"  Queen  borough  "  and  in  reply  to  the  taunts  of  the  old 
city  the  name  "  Queenborough  "  was  adopted,  which  was 
a  distinction  without  much  difference.  The  dispute 
grew  hot,  as  it  is  likely  to  do  over  such  matters,  and  the 
whole  subject  was  referred  directly  to  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, as  the  name  of  the  province  had  been.  Her  Majesty 
suggested  that  "the  Royal  City"  be  called  New  West- 
minster, a  name  that  pleased  all  parties  to  the  controversy, 
and  after  the  settlement  there  was  a  lively  speculation  in 


The  Fraser  River. 


''  The  Royal  City  " 117 

real  estate,  as  it  was  believed  that  this  city  was  destined 
to  become  the  provincial  metropolis.  Lots  were  sold  at 
auction  at  fancy  prices,  the  understanding  being  that  the 
proceeds  from  the  sale  would  be  devoted  to  civic  im- 
provements, such  as  the  opening  of  streets  and  the  clear- 
ing of  timber.  But  the  Government  had  other  uses  for 
the  money  and  it  was  diverted  to  other  channels. 

Still,  the  people  of  New  Westminster  were  optimistic. 
Here  was  the  only  fresh  water  harbour  of  consequence 
in  western  Canada,  it  was  the  capital  of  the  Mainland 
province,  what  more  could  a  city  ask  for  at  its  beginning? 
But  events  that  could  not  be  anticipated  transpired. 
After  the  union  of  the  two  colonies,  the  capital  became 
Victoria.  When  the  Canadian  Pacific  railroad  was 
pushed  to  tide-water  it  did  not  come  to  New  Westmin- 
ster, but  after  following  the  Fraser  River  for  many  miles, 
it  branched  away  to  Burrard  Inlet  and  Vancouver  arose. 
It  was  a  crushing  disappointment  and  "  the  Royal  City  " 
has  never  recovered.  The  swirling  river  rushes  past  its 
doors  and  it  continues  to  have  all  the  "  natural  advan- 
tages," but  like  a  faded  woman  come  on  sorrowful  days 
who  boasts  of  her  noble  lineage.  New  Westminster 
continues  to  refer  to  itself  as  "  the  Royal  City  "  in  all 
printed  announcements  and  advertisements ;  but  it  is  like 
one  of  those  royal  residences  scattered  over  Europe  from 
which  royalty  long  ago  departed,  leaving  the  echoing 
walls  to  be  stared  at  by  curious  visitors.  It  seems  to  be 
disappointed  with  itself  like  the  human  derelict  who  had 
his  opportunity  but  who  did  not  improve  it  until  too 
late.  Visitors  find  the  ride  over  from  Vancouver  attrac- 
tive. There  are  fine  motor  roads,  tram  cars  or  the  ride 
may  be  taken  entirely  by  water;  but  strangers  do  not 
remain  long.     Perhaps  they  inquire  for  the  ruins  of  the 


118  Sunset  Canada 


structure  erected  by  Simon  Fraser,  one  of  the  oldest  on  the 
Mainland  coast,  perhaps  they  glance  at  the  river,  the 
"  million-dollar  bridge,"  the  lumber  mills,  one  of  which  is 
said  to  be  "  the  largest  in  the  world,"  the  salmon  can- 
neries, the  provincial  asylum,  or  the  penitentiary,  but  they 
do  not  remain  long.  New  Westminster  is  only  one  of 
the  features  of  a  day's  excursion  into  the  territory  from 
Vancouver,  one  of  the  stations  of  the  British  Columbia 
Electric  railway  in  the  network  of  three  hundred  miles 
of  track,  it  is  only  one  "  settled  district  "  along  the  motor 
route.  I  sought  out  the  studio  of  a  photographer  whose 
signboard  announced  that  he  made  "  Commercial  Photog- 
raphy a  Specialty."  The  day  was  cloudy  and  not  suited 
to  camera  work  on  the  outside  and,  like  Jeremiah,  I  did 
not  expect  "  to  pass  this  way  again."  I  asked  him  if  he 
had  any  views  of  the  city,  which  claims  a  population  of 
twenty  thousand,  although  fully  half  the  population 
seemed  to  be  "  out  of  town  "  during  my  visit.  "  No,  I 
haven't  any,"  he  replied,  "  for  the  simple  reason  that 
nobody  seems  to  want  them,  so  I  never  wasted  the  time 
taking  any.  Once  a  man  came  here  and  took  some ;  but 
he  carried  his  films  or  plates  back  to  Vancouver  with  him 
and  we  never  received  any  copies  —  and  perhaps  it  is 
just  as  well,  because  we  never  had  any  demand  for 
them.  Nobody  seems  to  stop  here  long  enough  to  buy 
photographs." 

And  yet  the  location  of  New  Westminster  is  strikingly 
similar  to  that  of  New  Orleans  on  the  Mississippi  river 
or  Shanghai  above  the  mouth  of  the  Yangtze-Kiang. 
Both  of  the  latter  compelled  the  commerce  of  the  world 
to  come  up  the  river  to  them,  instead  of  permitting  it  to 
drift  to  sites  further  down,  and,  in  consequence,  they  have 
become  populous  cities,  the  largest  of  the  region.     There 


"  The  Royal  City  ** 119 

is  much  else  to  prompt  the  comparison  between  the 
Fraser  and  the  Yangtze:  both  rise  far  inland  and  are 
navigable  for  many  miles  above  their  mouths.  Their 
rapid  flow  brings  fertility  to  the  valleys  that  border  them, 
lands  particularly  adapted  to  agriculture.  A  pleasant  ex- 
cursion from  New  Westminster  is  to  board  one  of  the 
stern  wheelers  that  each  day  plows  its  way  up  the  heavy 
current  to  Chilliwack  and  back,  giving  a  view  of  these 
lands  with  their  large  gardens  and  meadows  in  which 
cattle  are  numerous.  It  is  further  down  the  river,  how- 
ever, that  the  comparison  becomes  more  striking.  The 
suburban  trolley  skirts  the  river  along  villages  on  fertile 
silt  lands,  where  bungalows  are  springing  up,  some  of 
them  still  set  among  uncleared  stumpage.  Eburne  is 
one  of  these  that  seems  to  be  passing  the  village  stage. 
It  feels  the  blessing  of  the  Fraser,  as  ancient  Egypt  lived 
by  the  annual  overflow  of  the  Nile.  But  there  are  no 
fellahen  along  the  Eraser's  lower  banks.  As  I  passed, 
the  owners  of  the  land  seemed  to  be  sitting  in  their  trim 
gardens,  while  the  real  work  of  raising  vegetables  seemed 
to  be  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Chinese.  I  saw 
many  of  the  latter  in  large  patches  of  radishes,  onions, 
tomatoes,  lettuce,  cabbage  and  potatoes  who  were  wear- 
ing the  costume  of  the  Chinese  peasantry,  which  seemed 
to  be  strangely  appropriate,  because  I  had  just  observed 
the  similarity  of  the  black  silt  lands  to  that  rich  region 
below  Shanghai.  The  similarity  continues  as  the  big 
bridge  is  crossed  and  the  tram  reaches  Lulu  Island,  so 
like  the  fertile  island  of  Tsung-ming-tau  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Yangtze-Kiang,  where  ocean  liners  anchor  and 
transfer  their  passengers  to  lighters  and  launches  for 
Shanghai  and  inland  cities.  Crossing  the  Canadian 
Yangtze,  the  car  soon  comes  to  Steveston,  which  is  almost 


120  Sunset  Canada 


an  Oriental  City  —  but  one  with  a  difference.  The  in- 
habitants, with  a  few  notable  exceptions  most  of  whom 
are  lodged  in  the  hotels,  are  Japanese  fishermen,  who 
live  much  as  Japanese  do  at  home,  although  they  are  much 
more  prosperous  than  they  could  expect  to  be  if  they  had 
remained  in  Nippon  and  followed  the  same  occupation. 
Here  are  Oriental  fishermen  who  during  the  run  of  sal- 
mon in  the  Fraser  average  as  high  as  $500  a  month, 
which  is  more  than  they  would  receive  for  a  year's  work 
of  the  same  sort  at  home.  Most  of  the  stores  of  Steves- 
ton  are  not  only  "  Japanese  "  in  the  much  abused  Ameri- 
can description  of  bazaars  that  expose  china  and  bamboo 
for  sale,  but  deal  principally  in  Oriental  foodstuffs  and 
apparel.  It  is  in  reality  Japan  in  America,  as  I  have 
never  seen  an  Oriental  community  represented  elsewhere, 
because  those  sections  of  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles, 
Vancouver  and  New  York  popularly  known  as  "  China- 
town "  are  merely  American  streets  in  which  many  Orien- 
tals live  and  conduct  their  business  in  an  almost  *'  Ameri- 
can "  fashion,  even  tempering  their  lives  to  accord  with 
social  laws,  ordinances,  rules  and  prejudices  of  western 
peoples. 

In  Steveston  there  seem  to  be  no  such  restraints.  It  is 
almost  their  city  and  they  have  brought  most  of  their 
customs  with  them,  instead  of  adapting  "  American 
ways "  to  their  requirements.  The  proprietor  of  the 
principal  European-style  hotel  of  the  place,  which  is  called 
the  Sockcye  after  the  salmon  that  gives  Steveston  its 
being,  told  me  that  a  several  years'  residence  among  the 
Japanese  had  brought  him  to  the  belief  that  despite  the 
prejudice  against  them  along  the  Pacific  coast  they  are 
an  industrious,  frugal  and  desirable  people  in  a  country 
that  is  always  wailing  for  more  labourers.     He  said  that 


''  The  Royal  City  " 121 

one  of  them  who  caused  any  annoyance  or  trouble  or 
misbehaved  himself  in  any  way  was  an  exception  to  the 
rule;  and  that  such  a  person  was  usually  warned  by  his 
countrymen  that  he  must  mend  his  ways  or  leave  the  city. 
"  Their  record  in  Steveston  would  be  a  difficult  one  for 
Occidentals  to  improve  upon,"  he  concluded,  "  which  from 
me,  I  believe,  will  convince  you  that  I  believe  in  giving 
credit  where  credit  is  due." 

Lulu  Island  at  Steveston  is  enclosed  by  high  dikes  that 
keep  back  the  water  when  the  tide  rises  and  which  pro- 
vides against  flood  when  the  Fraser  threatens  to  overflow 
its  banks,  following  the  melting  of  the  winter  snows  in 
the  mountains  among  which  it  flows.  There  are  several 
large  ditches  or  canals  around  the  city  and  the  majority  of 
the  Japanese  live  along  the  banks,  where  often  their 
houses  are  approached  by  narrow  bridges  that  need  only 
the  arches  of  Oriental  bridges  to  make  them  thoroughly 
"Japanese."  Along  these  spans  over  the  waterways, 
the  native  instinct  for  beauty  and  love  for  the  pictur- 
esque has  prompted  the  planting  of  shrubs  and  flowering 
plants.  Sometimes  they  are  in  painted  tin  cans,  in  soy 
kegs  or  in  China  urns ;  the  idea  is  the  same,  the  beautifl- 
cation  of  the  dooryard,  which  is  as  noticeable  among 
Nippon's  very  poor,  where  the  dooryard  may  not  be  more 
than  two  square  yards  in  area,  as  among  the  rich  and 
noble  who  can  build  extensive  parks  and  landscape  gar- 
dens. "  See  there,"  said  the  above-quoted  hotel  proprie- 
tor, pointing  to  a  little  bridge  the  rails  of  which  held  many 
flow^ering  plants,  "  the  Japs  may  have  their  faults  —  as 
other  people  do  —  but  I  believe  a  man  can't  be  so  very 
bad  who  works  diligently  every  day,  takes  good  care  of 
his  family  —  and  loves  flowers." 

The  Japanese  appear  to  be  strangely  at  home  in  this 


122  Sunset  Canada 


far-off  city  of  a  foreign  country  and  one  sees  the  same 
smile  on  their  faces  that  the  visitor  notes  when  he  sees 
them  about  their  work  in  their  native  land.  The  chil- 
dren throng  the  streets  or  stand  in  little  groups  on  the 
bridges,  wearing  the  brilliant  colours  of  childhood  in 
Japan.  When  they  are  old  enough,  and  if  their  parents 
can  afford  it,  they  are  sent  to  Japan  to  be  educated,  and 
although  Steveston's  prosperity  has  not  extended  over  a 
sufficient  number  of  years  to  ascertain  for  a  certainty,  it 
is  likely  that  most  of  them  will  improve  upon  their  father's 
position  in  life.  Their  elders  left  a  country  that  has 
three  hundred  and  seventeen  population  to  the  square 
mile  and  came  to  one  that  averages  less  than  two  in  the 
same  area,  where  the  labourer  has  a  better  opportunity. 
While  the  colony  is  composed  of  fishermen,  there  are  so 
many  of  them  that  several  other  trades  and  crafts  are 
being  represented  more  and  more,  the  blacksmiths,  mak- 
ers of  nets,  floats  and  sinkers  —  even  trained  engineers 
to  run  the  launches,  for  many  of  the  boats  in  these  waters 
retain  a  suggestion  of  the  Chinese  junk  in  their  lines,  and 
are  owned  and  operated  by  the  Japanese,  who  find  a  ready 
market  for  their  fish.  In  the  evening  they  sit  in  front 
of  their  homes  along  the  canal  banks  and  listen  to  the 
music  of  strange  little  native  guitars  or  the  samisen. 
One  can  hear  them  from  the  hotel  veranda  and  imagine 
that  he  has  crossed  to  the  land  of  the  wisteria  and  lotus. 
Most  visitors  will  not  remain  the  night  at  Steveston, 
however,  as  two  or  three  hours  will  suffice  to  observe  its 
"  atmosphere "  and  to  visit  the  principal  points  of  in- 
terest, which  relate  in  some  way  to  the  catching,  preser- 
vation and  marketing  of  fish,  and  the  city  is  included  in 
the  circular  excursion  that  may  be  made  from  Vancou- 
ver in  one  day.     It  is  worth  remaining  over,  however,  to 


"The  Royal  City" 123 

sit  around  the  various  meeting  places  of  the  "  old  resi- 
dents," to  hear  them  relate  their  stories  of  the  fancied 
or  real  experiences  of  the  past  when  the  great  salmon 
drove  started  up  the  river,  impelled  by  the  powerful  in- 
stinct of  reproduction.  To  listen  to  these  "  old  timers," 
one  must  believe  that  the  "  run  "  is  not  so  large  as  it 
used  to  be.  They  tell  of  the  pirate  sea  fish  that  pursue 
the  salmon  for  the  purpose  of  eating  its  spawn,  of  the  In- 
dians they  saw  clubbing  or  spearing  them  in  the  Narrows 
of  the  river,  of  the  bears  that  could  "  teach  any  salmon- 
fisher  a  few  lessons  " —  and  one  leaves  them  wondering 
that  there  remain  any  salmon  to  be  caught,  and  under- 
stands the  "  scarcity  "  that  must  have  caused  the  increase 
in  prices  for  the  canned  article  in  recent  years. 

But  one  recovers  from  the  effects  of  these  stories  when 
he  visits  a  cannery  in  July  or  August  when  the  "  run  "  is 
at  its  height.  The  barges  and  launches  come  to  the  piers 
with  all  available  space  piled  full  of  the  beautiful  fish 
that  form  one  of  the  great  assets  of  the  province.  Sal- 
mon marketed  from  British  Columbia  waters  in  191 5 
amounted  to  $8,018,626,  the  next  most  valuable  fish,  the 
halibut,  bringing  only  $1,561,626.  By  far  the  greater 
amount  of  this  catch  comes  from  the  Fraser  district  and 
a  large  per  cent,  of  it  is  marketed  fresh  or  canned  at 
Steveston. 

The  salmon's  strange  life  story  has  offered  a  special 
field  of  study  for  the  scientists  for  many  years,  and  while 
many  unusual  claims  were  made  it  was  not  until  very  re- 
cently that  much  that  was  accepted  as  gossip  —  or  worse 
—  was  accepted  literally  and  vouched  for  by  leading 
authorities.  It  seems  reasonably  certain  that  after  a 
salmon  is  hatched  in  the  headwaters  of  the  stream  it 
makes  its  way  to  salt  water  within  the  year.    Just  where  it 


124  Sunset  Canada 


goes  in  the  broad  Pacific  has  not  been  definitely  determined 
—  perhaps  to  the  Japanese  coast  —  and  the  route  of  its 
return  is  not  definitely  known ;  but  there  is  sufficient  proof 
to  satisfy  investigating  zoologists  that  it  returns  to  the 
stream  in  which  it  first  received  life.  It  is  even  claimed 
that  the  majority  of  the  salmon  return  to  spawn  in  the 
exact  locality  of  the  stream  in  which  they  were  hatched. 
As  they  enter  the  rivers  after  their  long  voyage  in  the 
big  ocean  they  rush  onward  at  a  terrific  pace,  leaping 
over  obstructions  and  performing  wonderful  feats  of  en- 
durance. In  small  streams  they  are  sometimes  so  numer- 
ous that  they  are  plainly  visible  from  shore  in  a  great 
mass  struggling  forward  and  seem  to  cover  the  surface 
of  the  water.  The  "  big  run  "  occurs  every  fourth  year 
with  absolute  certainty,  and  there  are  canneries  in  Ste- 
veston  which  operate  on  a  large  scale  and  suspend  opera- 
tions during  the  lighter  years.  During  this  run  there  are 
sometimes  as  many  as  two  thousand  boats  pursuing  the 
much  prized  fish  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fraser,  and  it  is  not 
unusual  for  them  to  bring  in  one  hundred  to  five  hundred 
fish  each  at  night  —  fish  varying  from  ten  to  seventy- 
five  pounds  in  weight. 

And  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  run  has  taken 
place  every  year  from  an  exceedingly  early  period,  as  the 
Indians  were  well  acquainted  with  its  habits  and  enter- 
tained almost  a  religious  respect  for  the  fish  that  did  so 
much  to  sustain  life  during  the  long  seasons  when  other 
food  was  scarce.  He  preserved  salmon  by  sun-drying 
and  smoking,  much  as  he  does  to-day,  and  preferred  it  to 
all  other  food. 

Charles  Hill-Tout,  author  of  a  book  on  British  Co- 
lumbia Indians,  says:  "Whenever  they,  (the  salmon) 
began  to  run,  no  Indian  was  allowed  to  fish  or  kill  until 


''  The  Royal  City  "  125 

the  first  salmon  of  the  season  had  been  reverently  brought 
to  the  chief  of  the  tribe,  who  would  gather  his  tribesmen 
and  bid  his  wife  cook  the  fish  in  a  new  basket  specially 
made  for  the  purpose.  Then  he  would  distribute  a  small 
bit  to  every  man  of  his  tribe  who  was  ceremonially  clean, 
for  none  who  were  ceremonially  unclean  could  be  al- 
low^ed  to  touch  a  bit  of  that  first  fish.  After  that,  any 
member  of  the  tribe  was  free  to  kill  salmon,  but  it  was 
understood  that  they  were  to  return  the  head  and  en- 
trails to  the  water." 

This  practice  of  returning  the  portions  of  the  fish  to  the 
water  was  with  the  belief  that  if  they  did  this  the  fish 
would  return  to  life,  thus  the  waters  of  the  river  would 
not  become  depleted  —  as  it  may  be  noted  the  waters  of 
British  Columbia  rivers  may  be  unless  adequate  laws 
are  framed  for  the  protection  of  the  salmon,  which  has 
already  shown  signs  of  diminishing  in  certain  "  fished- 
out  "  localities.  Hill-Tout  continues :  "  The  Indians 
believe  that  the  spirit  part  of  the  fish  and  animals  is  more 
real  than  the  corporeal  part.  They  believe  that  the  de- 
struction of  others  parts  of  his  carcass  besides  his  flesh 
which  may  be  used  for  food  purposes,  would  make  the 
bear,  for  example,  very  angry,  and  that  he  would  take  his 
revenge  on  the  Indians  for  the  indignity  placed  upon  his 
remains.  They  believe  if  the  animals  allow  themselves  to 
be  killed  for  food,  then  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  kill 
them  to  treat  with  reverence  what  they  do  not  use." 

The  Indian  legend  of  how  the  salmon  came  to  British 
Columbia  waters,  is  related  by  the  same  author  as  follows : 
**  It  seems  that  long  ago  there  were  no  salmon  in  the 
rivers,  and  Khals,  the  culture  hero  of  the  Indians  of  this 
coast  district,  determined  to  go  out  to  the  salmon  islands 
in  the  Pacific  and  induce  the  salmon  people  to  visit  the 


126  Sunset  Canada 


rivers  and  streams  and  allow  themselves  to  be  caught  by 
the  Indians  as  fish.  He  set  sail  with  his  brothers  and 
some  priests  of  the  coast  tribe  and  after  many  days  row- 
ing arrived  at  the  home  of  the  salmon  people  somewhere 
in  the  Pacific.  They  were  people  just  like  the  Indians 
and  the  visitors  were  made  welcome.  Just  when  the 
midday  meal  was  being  prepared  one  of  the  visitors 
noticed  that  two  of  the  young  people  of  the  salmon  tribe, 
a  youth  and  a  maiden,  went  down  into  the  water  and  dis- 
appeared. Shortly  afterwards  two  salmon  were  caught 
and  when  they  were  being  distributed  to  the  visitors  the 
chief  of  the  salmon  tribe  asked  them  to  be  very  careful  to 
keep  all  the  bones  together.  After  the  meal  one  or  two  of 
the  young  men  came  round  and  collected  the  bones  left 
over  and  these  were  taken  and  thrown  into  the  sea. 
Shortly  after  this  the  young  man  and  maiden  who  had 
entered  the  water  were  seen  to  reappear." 

"  This  happened  each  day  and  excited  the  curiosity  of 
one  of  the  visitors,  who  determined  to  put  his  suspicions 
to  the  test.  Believing  this  entering  of  the  water  and 
catching  of  salmon  to  be  intimately  connected,  he,  at  the 
next  meal,  hid  a  piece  of  salmon  bone  under  his  blanket. 
Presently,  when  the  young  people  came  up  out  of  the 
water,  it  was  seen  that  the  youth  was  holding  his  blanket 
up  to  his  jaw.  The  chief  went  forward  and  the  youth 
told  him  that  all  of  the  bones  could  not  have  been  returned 
to  the  water  because  his  jaw  bone  was  missing.  The 
chief  asked  the  visitors  if  they  had  returned  all  of  the 
bones.  A  search  was  made  and  the  missing  bone  was 
found  thrown  a  little  way  beyond  the  circle,  where  the 
visitor  had  thrown  it.  The  chief  threw  it  into  the  water, 
the  young  man  returned  into  the  water  and  came  out 
whole.     By  this  means  the  visitors  knew  that  the  salmon 


"  The  Royal  City '' 127 

that  they  had  been  eating  were  the  salmon  people.  So 
Khals  asked  the  chief  if  he  would  visit  their  coast  and 
permit  his  people  to  catch  them  as  salmon.  This  the  chief 
agreed  to  upon  certain  conditions,  the  principal  being 
that  they  would  always  throw  the  offal  and  bones  back 
into  the  water." 

Every  one  has  seen  the  bright  labelled  canned  salmon 
on  the  shelves  of  every  grocery  store  in  the  world,  because 
there  are  few  articles  of  food  so  relished  by  practically 
all  people  of  all  zones.  It  is  prepared  in  a  manner  that 
will  preserve  it  under  equatorial  skies  and  in  the  cold. 
It  is  "  ready  to  serve  "  when  taken  from  the  cans  and  one 
rarely  comes  across  any  that  is  not  in  prime  condition, 
whether  it  be  old  or  new.  Such  a  product  must  have  been 
prepared  with  infinite  care!  At  least  that  would  be 
the  natural  belief.  But  of  all  the  rapid-fire  operations  I 
have  ever  seen  in  a  factory  this  preparation  of  salmon  for 
the  market  seems  most  speedy.  The  present  rate  of  skill 
and  time-saving,  however,  has  come  about  after  years 
of  experimentation  and  experience.  Efficiency  experts 
have  been  busy  and  where  a  part  of  the  process  could  be 
accomplished  in  one  movement  of  a  worker's  arms  he  was 
trained  not  to  take  two.  Where  a  machine  could  be  de- 
vised to  do  the  work  of  several  men  some  one  invented  it 
and  the  machine  was  installed  and  put  into  operation. 
The  busy  season  is  short,  but  when  the  fish  come  they 
come  by  millions  and  they  must  be  disposed  of  at 
once. 

As  the  boats  arrive  at  the  pier  and  deposit  their  pre- 
cious cargo  at  the  cannery  the  floor  is  covered,  and  from 
that  moment  quick  disposition  is  made  of  them.  One 
by  one  they  are  fed  into  the  jaws  of  a  machine  that  chops 
off  their  heads,  slits  open  their  stomachs  and  "  cleans  " 


128  Sunset  Canada 


them.  They  fall  into  vats,  attended  by  Japanese  women, 
where  there  is  running  water  and  they  receive  a  final 
inspection  as  to  their  fitness  for  the  can.  One  by  one 
they  are  fed  into  an  iron  "  chink  "  that  in  one  operation 
cuts  the  whole  fish  to  can-length  sizes.  They  are  packed 
into  cans  filling  a  circular  iron  tray,  a  spring  is  touched, 
something  falls,  and  when  it  rises  back  to  place  every 
can  has  been  topped  and  sealed.  They  are  placed  on 
endless  chains  and  begin  their  journey  through  vats  of 
hot  water  which  discharges  them  near  large  retorts,  where 
they  are  heated  to  soften  the  bones.  A  label  is  pasted 
on  the  can  and  the  cans  are  packed  in  cases  for  shipment, 
the  operation  finished. 

A  considerable  trade  has  grown  up  in  frozen  fish,  which 
are  shipped  to  the  markets  of  the  world  in  refrigerator 
cars  and  steamers,  so  that  London,  Melbourne  and  New 
York  may  receive  "  fresh  fish  "  from  the  British  Colum- 
bia fisheries.  Several  plants  specialize  in  this  product, 
which  seems  to  be  growing  in  favour.  Visitors  are  wel- 
come here  as  at  the  canning  factories  and  usually  a 
"  guide  "  is  provided  at  the  office  on  application  for  ad- 
mission beyond  tightly  closed  doors  where  the  tempera- 
ture is  kept  at  a  point  that  endangers  the  health  of  men 
who  work  more  than  two  hours  at  a  stretch  without 
coming  into  the  open  air.  I  did  not  see  salmon  frozen 
or  freezing,  but  I  saw  shelves  and  racks  piled  high  with 
halibut  and  cod,  much  of  which  is  brought  down  from 
more  northern  waters  for  cleaning  and  freezing.  Also 
there  were  several  mammoth  sturgeon  from  the  Fraser, 
one  tipping  the  scales  at  one  thousand  pounds  and  with 
a  "  body  "  almost  as  large  as  a  horse,  although  its  head 
and  snout  had  been  severed.  Sturgeon  here  have  weighed 
as  high  as  seventeen  hundred  pounds.     Such  a  fish  is  a 


"  The  Royal  City  '* 129 

prize  to  the  captor;  but  they  have  not  been  plentiful  of 
late,  owing  to  lax  laws  and  piratical  fishing. 

Another  department  of  the  "  cooler  "  has  unique  in- 
terest for  although  it  is  of  great  importance  to  the  fish- 
eries the  public  is  unaware  of  its  existence.  It  shows  how 
small  fish,  six  to  nine  inches  long  and  mostly  herring,  are 
preserved  for  bait.  In  the  month  of  January  these  fish 
run  in  schools  of  incredible  numbers  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Fraser,  and  they  are  never  so  plentiful  in  the  waters 
where  the  halibut  and  cod  are  caught.  So  the  Japanese 
fisheries  of  Steveston,  who  catch  salmon  in  the  summer, 
throw  their  nets  for  "  bait  "  in  the  winter  and  bring  them 
to  the  refrigeration  plants  by  scow-loads.  Some  seasons 
they  are  so  plentiful  that  only  five  dollars  a  ton  is  paid  for 
them;  but  the  price  sometimes  runs  as  "high"  as  ten 
dollars  a  ton.  The  plants  sometimes  receive  as  many  as 
fifty  tons  at  one  time.  They  are  thrown  into  square  vats, 
into  which  water  is  poured,  filling  the  intervening  crevices 
and  then  they  are  frozen  into  rectangular  cubes  about 
tw^o  feet  long,  one  foot  high  and  one  foot  thick.  The 
cubes  are  stacked  up  in  huge  storerooms,  where  they  are 
preserved  for  an  indefinite  time  —  until  a  steamer  comes 
in  with  a  load  of  fish  and  takes  on  bait  for  the  return 
cargo.  A  block  is  permitted  to  stand  in  the  sun,  or  hot 
water  is  poured  over  it  when  bait  is  required  and  the  small 
fish  again  find  the  sea  "  as  fresh  as  when  they  were 
caught " —  only  this  time  to  serve  as  a  lure  to  a  hungry 
halibut  that  may  shortly  find  its  way  to  the  tables  of  Eng- 
land and  Australia. 


CHAPTER  X 

Vancouver's  side-trips 

The  stranger  in  Vancouver  could  begin  a  well  laid  out 
program  of  excursions  from  that  city,  little  jaunts  afield 
and  by  water  that  require  from  one-half  day  to  twelve 
days,  and  rarely  if  ever  traverse  the  same  territory,  al- 
though he  followed  the  program  conscientiously  for  sev- 
eral weeks  and  allowed  himself  none  of  the  stop-overs 
at  the  places  visited  that  will  beckon  and  lure.  Nature 
was  not  so  prodigal  of  her  gifts  to  many  cities  of  the 
world ;  and  where  she  was  there  was  no  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway  to  make  the  journey  toward  them  comfortable 
and  luxurious  with  the  minimum  of  expense  and  fatigue. 
And  then,  as  already  noted,  Vancouver  is  on  the  great 
world's  highw^ay  from  London  to  Hongkong,  another 
unusual  advantage.  Most  around-the-world  travelers 
are  pleased  to  remain  for  some  time  in  such  a  city,  and 
the  people,  recognizing  that  they  have  something  to  offer 
and  enough  traffic  to  pay  for  the  development  of  tours  in 
every  direction  have  devised  means  of  making  these  trips 
mutually  satisfactory  to  those  who  pay  and  to  themselves. 
At  almost  every  hour  of  every  day  there  is  some  steamer 
entering  the  deep  waters  of  Burrard  Inlet  for  a  cruise  to 
one  of  the  enchanting  fjords,  coves,  bays  or  islands  of  this 
typically  Norwegian  shore  line.  Some  of  them  move 
slowly  along  the  rugged  coast  and  return  the  same  day. 
Others  have  ample  accommodations  for  the  night  and 
passengers  remain  aboard  for  thirty-six  hours.     Some  go 

130 


Vancouver's  Side-Trips 131 

further  and  take  forty-eight  hours,  three,  four,  five  days 
and  more  for  the  round  trip.  One  who  begins  to  follow 
the  marine  program  before  having  made  many  excursions 
by  land  might  fancy  that  Vancouver's  chief  recreation 
and  charm  was  in  its  ever-moving  water  pageant, 

A  good  beginning  is  the  little  trip  to  Capilano  Canyon, 
which  may  be  made  by  motor  car  and  ferry,  or  by  a  com- 
bination of  ferry  and  tramcar.  I  have  made  it  in  both 
ways  and  I  have  walked  the  entire  distance  —  put  down 
as  about  twelve  miles  round  trip  from  Vancouver  —  and 
I  have  no  hesitancy  in  recommending  this  more  strenuous 
manner,  at  least  for  the  tourist  who  intends  making  a 
day's  trip  of  it.  The  North  Vancouver  ferry,  which  runs 
at  frequent  intervals  during  the  hour,  will  carry  one 
across  the  Bay,  and  if  you  do  not  care  to  venture  into 
trails  that  are  merely  the  footprints  of  "  white  Indians  " 
who  despise  macadam  roads,  the  tramcar  tracks  may  be 
followed  up  over  the  hills  in  a  northwesterly  direction  un- 
til a  road  is  reached  that  skirts  along  the  bank  of  the  aw- 
ful precipice,  where  the  rushing  waters  are  hurrying  in  the 
last  hours  of  their  plunge  toward  the  sea.  There  are 
trails  from  the  road  down  into  the  canyon  itself  where 
the  steep  descent  is  made  along  a  stairway  of  roots  and 
trampled  earth,  or  one  may  follow  the  road  to  the  tea- 
house which  is  set  in  a  rock  garden  of  almost  indescribable 
beauty  where  a  wise  landscape  gardener  has  preserved 
the  natural  charm  of  the  place  but  has  caused  flowering 
shrubs  and  vines  to  cover  the  terraces  and  fill  the  rock 
crevasses  with  brilliant  colours  that  have  a  background  of 
pine,  fir,  spruce  and  hemlock,  festooned  over  prongs  of 
jutting  rock.  At  the  side  of  the  veranda  of  this  tea- 
house built  of  cedar  planks  piled  flat  to  resemble  solid 
beams   or   square-cut   logs,   is   the   celebrated   Capilano 


152  Sunset  Canada 


Bridge,  one  of  the  most  photographed  "  sights  "  in  the 
environs  of  Vancouver.  It  provides  more  thrills  than  a 
Ferris  wheel  or  switch-back  of  the  amusement  parks,  and 
yet  the  element  of  danger  is  practically  nil,  as  one  realizes 
afterwards  but  fails  to  appreciate  at  the  time. 

The  gorge  of  the  glacial  stream  seems  to  be  narrow 
until  one  ventures  onto  the  bucking,  trembling  footpath, 
when  it  suddenly  seems  to  be  of  interminable  length. 
Rocks  that  seem  to  have  been  cut  by  a  knife  reach  down  to 
the  water  two  hundred  feet.  Cables  four  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long  have  been  imbedded  in  rocks  and  stumps 
on  each  side  of  the  ravine  and  a  slender  bridge  of  narrow 
boards  is  suspended  from  the  cables.  From  the  tea-house 
the  aerial  pathway  leads  to  a  group  of  rustic  tables  on 
the  opposite  bank  where  picnickers  spread  their  lunches 
and  mingle  the  joys  of  the  environment  with  human  de- 
light in  watching  new  arrivals  start  out  bravely  on  the 
bridge  and  then,  when  it  begins  to  buck  and  sway,  either 
become  panic-stricken  and  shout  for  help  or  grasp  the 
side  cables  and  creep  timidly  to  the  end.  One  person 
might  cross  the  bridge  and  the  vibration  might  respond 
to  the  footstep,  but  there  are  no  limitations  as  to  the 
number  who  may  venture  upon  it  at  one  time.  One 
starts  out  and  reaches  the  center,  new  visitors  arrive  and 
in  their  new  enthusiasm  rush  onto  the  end  and  immedi- 
ately the  whole  structure  is  careening  and  billowing  as  if 
it  resented  the  action  of  the  thoughtless. 

The  guide  books  say  that  the  bridge  was  constructed 
by  an  inventive  Frenchman  who  wandered  through  the 
canyon  on  a  hunting  expedition  and  as  it  was  within  easy 
distance  of  Vancouver  saw  the  "  possibilities  "  of  the 
place  as  an  amusement  park  if  "  thrills  "  were  provided 
for  visitors.     This  is  incorrect,  however,  and  when  I 


Capilano  Canyon  Suspension  Bridge. 


Vancouver's  Side -Trips  133 

heard  the  true  story  of  its  building  and  saw  a  strange 
bunk-house  of  hand-hewn  cedar  planks  that  have  aged  to 
Rembrandt  browns,  I  thought  I  was  on  the  scent  of  just 
such  a  human  story  as  such  a  place  should  have.  There 
is  "  gossip  "  that  a  white  man  once  v^andered  into  this 
canyon,  that  he  fell  in  love  with  an  Indian  girl  who  re- 
turned his  affection ;  she  was  thrown  out  of  her  tribe  and 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  return  to  his  people,  taking 
with  him  his  wilderness  "  soul-mate."  So  they  went  to 
the  top  of  this  canyon  and  the  man  built  the  home  from 
which  they  could  look  down  on  the  turbulent  waters  and 
the  ravine  which  both  of  them  loved.  I  thought  of  an 
American  "  IMadam  Butterfly,"  or  "  Madam  Chrysan- 
theme  " —  did  the  white  man  remain  faithful  to  the  Indian 
maid  and  did  they  end  their  lives  here  together?  Just 
by  chance  was  there  a  tragic  ending  to  their  existence 
here  together?  There  was  the  yawning  chasm  in  the 
wilderness  and  I  could  fancy  a  dozen  "  climaxes  "  to 
such  an  adventure.  Or  did  he  tire  of  it  all  and  go  back  to 
his  kind?  Did  she  return  to  her  tribe,  repenting  of  her 
"  sin,"  or,  like  Cio-Cio-San,  did  she  end  it  all  when  she 
knew  that  she  had  been  deserted?  Capilano  Canyon  is  a 
place  to  prompt  such  fancies.  One  dreams  them  and 
fancies  that  they  may  have  been  realities,  or  should 
have  been. 

"  I  have  heard  whisperings  —  very  vague  whisperings 
—  of  the  story  that  a  white  man  and  an  Indian  girl  once 
lived  in  the  old  shack,"  replied  the  lady  of  the  tea-house, 
when  I  asked  her  concerning  it.  "  None  but  me  seemed 
to  be  interested  and  my  inquiries  met  with  a  raising  of  the 
eyebrows  and  the  suggestion  that  such  a  yarn  was  scandal- 
ous and  had  best  be  forgotten,  unless  I  wanted  the  place 
to  lose  its  good  name.     This  somewhat  *  proper  '  way  of 


134  Sunset  Canada 


looking  at  it  did  not  deter  my  investigations,  however, 
but  my  researches  did  not  lead  to  anything  very  satisfy- 
ing, for  instead  of  this  romantic  story  I  found  the  truth, 
which  was  that  the  bunk-house  was  built  for  the  accom- 
modation of  labourers  when  a  water-works  system  was 
being  installed  from  these  headwaters  for  the  valley  be- 
low. No,  everything  in  Capilano  Canyon  history  has 
been  perfectly  '  regular  '  so  far  as  we  know  and  there  is 
no  reason  why  unchaperoned  young  ladies  should  not 
pause  on  this  veranda  for  tea  and  their  parents  need  not 
fear  that  '  scandal '  ever  touched  the  place  —  even  when 
the  territory  was  inhabited  by  Indians  with  only  an 
occasional  visit  from  a  white  trapper  or  adventurer.  As 
for  the  bridge  itself,  it  was  built  by  a  Scotchman,  a 
Chinese  and  an  Indian  —  a  rather  unusual  human  com- 
bination for  such  a  v^^ork,  but  not  at  all  romantic.  This 
garden?  Yes,  I  have  done  it  all  myself,  with  an  occa- 
sional lift  from  a  Japanese  servant  when  I  wanted  to  move 
a  big  rock  to  another  position.  Many  years  ago  I  lived 
in  Macao,  in  the  south  of  China.  There  was  a  wealthy 
mandarin  there  who  used  to  allow  us  to  walk  in  the  beau- 
tiful garden  that  surrounded  his  palace.  In  those  days, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  future,  I  promised  myself  that  if 
I  ever  had  the  opportunity  I  would  attempt  to  duplicate 
in  my  own  garden  some  of  the  effects  of  those  enchanting 
landscapes.  And  in  time,  I  came  here  where  there  were 
the  rocks  and  the  trees  beside  this  beautiful  canyon.  I 
set  to  work  to  fulfil  that  promise  to  myself  of  long  ago. 
These  are  the  stories  of  the  bridge,  the  bunk-house  and  the 
garden ;  nothing  romantic  in  them  you  see !  May  I  pour 
you  another  cup  of  tea  and  won't  you  help  yourself  to 
another  scone?  " 

One  may  continue  this  day's  jaunt  to  include  other 


Vancouver's  Side-Trips 135 

views  of  the  same  canyon  and  other  canyons,  where  there 
are  good  endurance  tests  for  the  amateur  chmber,  or 
where,  as  at  Canyon  View  Hotel,  one  may  sit  quietly 
and  enjoy  the  beauties  of  nature  in  rugged  and  wild 
dress. 

Another  trip  that  may  be  made  in  one  day  is  along 
what  is  known  as  the  North  Arm,  in  reality  a  continua- 
tion nineteen  miles  in  length  of  Vancouver's  harbour.  At 
the  head  of  the  Inlet  is  the  Wigwam  Inn,  a  modern  hotel 
with  spacious  verandas  in  a  pleasing  location  for  a  brief 
holiday.  The  "  Falls  of  the  Soray  of  Pearls  " —  Vancou- 
ver folk  are  becoming  almost  Oriental  in  their  nomen- 
clature of  natural  beauty  —  are  within  the  grounds  of  the 
Inn  and  Cathedral  Canyon  is  in  the  near  neighbourhood. 
A  day  may  be  spent  enjoyably  at  Horseshoe  Bay,  a 
pretty  beach  that  invites  anglers,  bathers  and  boatmen. 
It  lies  about  twelve  miles  from  Vancouver  and  is  reached 
by  the  ferry  to  North  Vancouver  and  the  Pacific  Great 
Eastern  Railway  to  Whytecliff  station.  This  excursion 
affords  a  view  of  Burrand  Inlet,  the  Narrows,  English 
Bay  and  the  shore  line  of  Stanley  Park.  The  trip  to 
Bowen  Island,  an  estate  of  about  eight  hundred  acres, 
may  be  made  in  one  day,  or  this  trip  may  be  included  in 
the  one-day  cruise  to  Howe  Sound,  which  is  a  pleasant 
reminder  of  the  Norwegian  coast,  because  it  offers  close 
views  of  glacier-tipped  mountains  as  well  as  a  stop  at 
Seaside  Park  and  a  call  at  the  Brittania  Copper  Mines. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  recall  a  day's  trip  from  an  At- 
lantic coast  city  that  offers  so  much  in  landscape  beauty 
and  so  likely  to  make  an  appeal  to  visitors. 

Perhaps  the  most  popular  two-day  sea  trip  from  Van- 
couver is  that  by  what  is  known  as  the  Jervis  Inlet  and 
Butte  Inlet  routes.     Leaving  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 


136  Sunset  Canada 


ing,  one  returns  to  the  city  at  five  the  next  afternoon, 
having  cruised  among  many  islands  and  stopped  at  fully 
a  dozen  little  ports,  all  barely  known  by  name  to  the 
visitor  from  beyond  British  Columbia's  borders.  The 
steamers  visit  Sechelt,  which  lies  close  to  Porpoise  Bay, 
Pender  Harbour,  which  affords  a  close  view  of  IMount 
Diadem  which  towers  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea 
in  lonesome  grandeur.  In  the  harbour  is  a  small  island 
covered  with  Indian  huts,  a  tiny  reservation  that  is  near 
to  good  herring  fishing  in  season.  Nearby  is  Painted 
Point,  so  called  from  Indian  writing  daubed  on  the 
rocks  and  supposed  to  have  been  placed  there  generations 
ago.  Lund  has  been  called  "  the  British  Columbia  Corn- 
wall," as  it  seems  to  be  set  in  a  shady  bower  amid  green- 
ish coloured  rocks.  The  Yeucaltau  Rapids  are  interest- 
ing in  themselves  and  for  the  fact  that  Captain  Vancou- 
ver camped  in  the  region  during  his  explorations  of  the 
coast,  which  gives  the  name  of  "  Old  Village  of  Vancou- 
ver "  to  a  point  on  the  coast,  a  name  by  which  it  is  known 
on  the  official  charts.  The  romance  associated  with  Buc- 
caneer Bay  has  usually  credited  it  with  the  pirates,  but 
while  there  is  a  "  story  "  in  connection  with  its  pictur- 
esque name  it  is  modern  and  does  not  date  to  the  days  of 
the  sea-rovers.  It  appears  that  there  was  a  celebrated 
horse  on  the  English  turf  called  "  Buccaneer,"  a  contem- 
porary of  "  Thormanby,"  which  won  the  Derby  in  i860. 
Captain  Richards  of  H.  M.  Surveying  Vessel  Plumper 
named  the  Thormanby  Islands  —  perhaps  he  had  v.on 
money  on  the  race  —  and  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  bays 
he  named  after  "  Buccaneer  "  with  several  other  places 
like  Epsom  Point,  Oaks  Point,  and  Tottenham  Ledge  in 
memory  of  the  famous  race-course.  Powell  River  is  the 
site  of  a  large  pulp  and  paper  mill,  operated  by  water 


Vancouver's  Side-Trips  137 

power  from  the  falls  nearby  and  at  Powell  Lake  and 
Goat  Lake  there  is  good  fishing. 

There  are  steamers  that  take  three  days  instead  of 
two  to  cover  this  route,  allowing  more  time  ashore  at 
various  points  of  landing.  There  are  two,  three  and 
four-day  cruises  to  Johnstone  Straits  and  Kingcome  In- 
let. A  six-day  excursion  by  three  different  routes  in- 
cludes the  Skeena  River,  Campbell  River,  Bella  Bella, 
China  Hat,  Anyox,  Alice  Arm,  Alert  Bay  and  Prince 
Rupert.  A  tour  around  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands  and 
return  in  twelve  days  is  gaining  popularity  with  tourists 
each  season.  Any  of  the  longer  trips,  of  course,  include 
most  of  the  scenery  of  the  shorter  ones,  thus  the  cruise  to 
Prince  Rupert  or  to  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands  from 
Vancouver  is  perhaps  advisable,  rather  than  several  of 
the  briefer  excursions,  if  one  has  the  time;  but  the  trav- 
eler may  rest  assured  if  he  take  only  one  of  the  day 
trips  that  he  has  seen  what  is  typical  of  the  entire  coast- 
line, and  what  he  would  see  in  more  extensive  or  more 
abbreviated  form  when  following  the  longer  routes: 
islands  covered  with  evergreen  trees,  jutting  rocks,  deep 
blue  bays,  and  snow-capped  mountains.  It  is  the  same, 
although  it  seems  to  be  ever  changing  to  the  leisurely 
traveler,  from  Vancouver  to  Alaska. 

Leaving  Vancouver  on  the  cruise  to  Prince  Rupert,  the 
water  seems  to  be  land-locked  and  the  deep  channel  is 
sheltered  almost  its  entire  distance,  being  also  studded 
with  islands,  some  of  which  are  of  considerable  size  — 
as  for  example,  Vancouver  Island,  whose  mountains  are 
visible  during  the  first  hundred  miles  in  the  Straits  of 
Georgia.  The  Straits  end  as  Seymour  Narrows  are 
reached,  where  the  rushing  waters  pass  through  a  channel 
that  seems  almost  at  the  steamer's  sides,  although  the 


138  Sunset  Canada 


official  figures  show  it  to  be  almost  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide.  The  tide  streams  into  this  passage  in  a  rushing 
torrent,  however,  and  it  seems  that  the  boat  were  ascend- 
ing or  descending  a  rapidly  flowing  river.  The  scenery 
is  constantly  changing  as  one  passes  the  islands  of  John- 
stone Straits  and  Discovery  Passage  and  one  observes 
the  deep  indentures  in  the  coast  line,  which  permit  the 
warm  Chinook  winds  from  the  Japan  current  to  sweep 
inland  and  temper  the  climatic  conditions  of  the  interior. 
In  this  region  passengers  frequently  see  schools  of  whales, 
sometimes  a  dozen  or  as  many  as  twenty  of  them,  flound- 
ering and  spouting  in  what  seems  to  be  their  chosen  play- 
ground. 

The  first  point  of  particular  interest  after  passing  John- 
stone Straits  is  Alert  Bay,  which  is  noted  for  its  fish  can- 
neries, and  what  is  believed  to  be  the  largest  and  finest 
collection  of  totem  poles  in  the  province,  with  the  possi- 
ble exception  of  the  group  at  Nootka  Sound.  The  one 
street  of  the  village  is  fenced  with  these  quaint  wood 
carvings,  some  of  them  thirty  or  forty  feet  tall.  The 
route  continues  through  winding  channels,  between  scores 
of  islands,  until  Queen  Charlotte  Sound  is  reached,  and 
steaming  across  this  opening  with  nothing  to  the  West  but 
the  Pacific  Ocean  brings  the  boat  into  sheltered  ways 
again  behind  Calvert  Island,  when  a  natural  canal  to  Bella 
Bella  is  followed.  Bella  Bella  marks  the  entrance  to  one 
of  the  channels  of  the  Dean  Channel,  which  penetrates 
the  main  coast  for  a  hundred  or  more  miles.  It  was 
here  that  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie  reached,  the  Pacific 
ocean,  after  his  overland  journey  across  Canada  in  1793, 
the  first  to  perform  the  feat ;  and  twelve  years  prior  to  the 
accomplishment  of  the  overland  journey  across  the  United 
States  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River  by  Lewis 


Vancouver's  Side-Trips 139 

and  Clarke.  North  from  this  point  the  scenery  is  even 
finer  than  in  the  channels  east  of  Vancouver  Island,  al- 
though the  mountains  are  not  so  high.  Finlayson  Chan- 
nel and  Greenville  Channel  give  an  almost  unbroken  ca- 
nal-like passage  to  within  a  short  distance  of  Prince 
Rupert,  and  Finlayson  Channel  offers  the  most  attractive 
scenery  on  the  route  between  Vancouver  and  the  new  city 
of  the  north  coast,  being  very  narrow  and  the  hills  abrupt. 
One  who  prefers  to  make  the  trip  to  Prince  Rupert 
and  still  desires  the  cruise  to  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands 
will  find  a  comfortable  and  speedy  passage  from  this 
port  to  the  mountainous  archipelago,  of  which  Graham 
Island  and  the  port  of  Massett  will  be  of  particular  in- 
terest, where  he  will  find  the  opportunity  to  observe  the 
remnants  of  the  once  powerful  Haida  nation  of  Indian'' 
who  have  attracted  so  much  attention  from  writers  and 
scientific  ethnologists.  The  Haida  people  have  compara- 
tively fair  skins,  and  light  hair  is  common  among  them, 
while  their  principal  occupations  are  fishing,  the  carving 
of  wooden  or  slate  images  and  the  manufacture  of  jew- 
elry that  preserves  ancient  barbaric  designs.  Of  unusual 
interest  are  their  stone  carvings  made  on  blocks  of  shale 
which  they  procure  in  the  mountains  and  which  is  capable 
of  taking  a  high  polish ;  but  the  younger  representatives 
of  the  race  do  not  look  with  favour  upon  the  perpetua- 
tion of  this  artistic  cult  of  their  fore-fathers,  while  they 
have  produced  nothing  that  compares  to  it,  although 
some  of  them  are  beginning  to  show  skill  as  boat-build- 
ers, and  frequently,  as  among  the  Indians  on  Vancouver 
Island,  they  have  built  craft  that  was  purchased  by  white 
men.  The  Indian  agents  report  that  they  have  often 
seen  young  men  destroy  these  ancient  carvings  with  in- 
tentional strokes  of  the  hammer  or  ax,  a  ruthless  destruc- 


140  Sunset  Canada 


tion  that  cannot  be  in  the  wake  of  civilization,  because 
the  younger  generation  is  shiftless  and  almost  totally 
lacking  in  those  characteristics  that  attracted  the  world's 
attention  to  their  fathers.  One  hears  the  sound  of  the 
piano  in  the  homes  of  Massett  and  Skidegate  instead  of 
the  native  instruments;  and  while  the  Haida  nation  is  as 
fond  of  dancing  as  ever,  it  is  the  waltz  and  the  quadrille 
that  interest  them  more  than  the  war  dance,  and  the 
gramophone  frequently  provides  the  accompaniment  in- 
stead of  the  tomtom  and  the  drum. 

In  1840  the  number  of  Haidas  was  about  seven  thou- 
sand and  they  occupied  about  thirty  villages.  They  have 
decreased  in  numbers  so  rapidly  that  only  about  seven 
hundred  of  them  remain  and  more  than  half  of  this 
number  are  at  Massett,  where  they  still  prove  themselves 
expert  fishermen,  often  proving  their  superiority  to  white 
men  in  this  ancient  occupation. 

Thomas  Deasy,  who  was  Dominion  Indian  Agent  in 
the  islands  for  many  years,  says  that  the  Haidas  were 
a  nation  of  warriors  and  that  in  their  raids  on  other 
tribes  they  sometimes  ventured  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the 
Fraser  River  in  their  war  canoes,  which  were  carved  from 
huge  cedar  logs.  Every  man's  ambition  in  those  early 
days  was  to  have  a  retinue  of  slaves  of  his  own  captur- 
ing, and  the  greatest  desire  of  parents  was  to  rear  warrior 
sons.  Summer  and  winter  it  was  the  custom  for  them  to 
throw  small  boys  into  the  cold  water,  where  they  would  be 
compelled  to  swim  for  their  lives,  and  sometimes  when 
they  had  reached  the  shore  in  safety  they  were  beaten 
with  thongs  made  from  the  roots  of  spruce  trees  until 
they  returned  to  the  water  and  gave  further  proof  that 
they  were  not  cowards  nor  weaklings.  From  infancy 
the  fact  was  impressed  upon  them  that  they  were  to 


Vancouver's  Side-Trips 141 

become  warriors  and  unless  they  were  to  prove  them- 
selves stronger  and  braver  than  other  Indians  it  was 
better  for  them  to  perish  in  infancy,  so  that  they  would 
not  become  a  tax  upon  the  resources  of  the  parents  or 
the  tribe.  They  had  many  other  strange  customs,  some 
of  which  have  survived  to  the  present,  although  they  are 
not  practised  with  the  oldtime  vigour.  Thus  the  nephew 
of  a  deceased  brave  inherits  everything  that  his  uncle 
possessed,  even  to  his  name  and  title  of  chieftain.  They 
prepare  for  death  by  having  tombstones  made  and  by  lay- 
ing aside  enough  money  to  provide  ample  funeral  ex- 
penses. Their  marriage  ceremonials  are  still  notable, 
being  a  mixture  of  heathen  and  Christian  rites.  Dressed 
in  their  finest  raiment,  the  bride  and  groom  enter  the 
church  to  the  accompaniment  of  band  music;  after  the 
ceremony  they  retire  to  the  town  hall  with  all  their 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  feasting  and  dancing  con- 
tinue frequently  until  the  following  day,  the  expenses  of 
the  orgy  being  borne  by  the  groom  and  his  relatives.  It 
is  said  that  while  Haida  marriages  may  be  made  in 
heaven,  the  relatives  of  the  contracting  parties  still  have 
a  good  deal  to  say  in  the  preliminary  arrangements. 

This  district  and  the  region  beyond  it  are  fields  for  the 
excursionist  that  are  are  likely  to  attract  greater  numbers 
of  travelers  each  year ;  in  fact,  this  is  true  already,  some 
of  the  steamers  having  booked  for  the  July  and  August 
trips  to  full  capacity  long  before  the  date  of  sailing.  It  is 
the  opportunity  to  travel  over  unfrequented  routes  with 
all  the  comforts  to  which  one  becomes  accustomed  on 
well-beaten  pathways.  Provision  has  been  made  at  most 
of  the  places  mentioned  for  the  entertainment  of  all  who 
desire  to  remain  in  port  until  the  next  steamer,  be  it  a  day, 
week  or  a  month  distant,  not  luxuriantly  appointed  hotels 


142  Sunset  Canada 


like  those  to  be  found  along  the  railroad  lines  in  the  lar- 
ger cities,  nor  at  those  Meccas  of  scenic  marvels  like  Lake 
Louise,  but  neat  cottage  hotels  that  seem  to  be  more  in 
keeping  with  the  atmosphere  and  surroundings  than  large 
and  expensive  hotels  would  be.  Here  is  the  place  for  a 
leisurely  taken  summer  outing  far  away  from  scenes 
with  which  one  is  familiar,  far  away  from  the  people 
whom  one  expects  to  meet  on  the  familiar  highways  of 
Canada.  Queen  Charlotte  Sound  itself  is  a  marvel  of 
beauty  that  would  pay  the  voyager  for  his  trip  across 
country,  if  his  eyes  beheld  nothing  to  delight  him  before 
he  reached  it.  It  is  a  fitting  climax  to  journey's  end,  "  a 
splendid  sweep  of  purple  water,"  writes  Ella  Higginson 
in  Alaska  the  Great  Country,  which  has  to  do  princi- 
pally with  the  land  that  lies  beyond  the  Sound.  But  her 
pen  pauses  at  this  approach  to  the  land  of  gold  and  she 
continues :  "  The  warm  breath  of  the  Kuro  Si  wo,  pene- 
trating all  these  inland  seas  and  passages,  is  converted 
by  the  great  white  peaks  of  the  horizon  into  pearl-like 
mist  that  drifts  in  clouds  and  fragments  upon  the  blue 
waters.  Nowhere  are  these  mists  more  frequent,  nor 
more  elusive,  than  in  Queen  Charlotte  Sound.  At  sun- 
rise they  take  on  the  delicate  tones  of  the  primrose  or  the 
pinkish  star-flower;  at  sunset  all  the  royal  rose  and  purple 
blendings;  all  the  warm  flushes  of  amber,  orange  and 
gold.  Through  a  maze  of  pale  yellow,  whose  fine,  cool 
needles  sting  one's  face  and  set  one's  hair  with  seed 
pearls,  one  passes  into  a  little  open  water-world  where  a 
blue  sky  sparkles  above  a  bluer  sea,  and  the  air  is  like 
clear,  washed  gold.  But  a  mile  ahead  a  solid  wall  of 
amethyst  closes  in  this  brilliant  sea;  shattering  it  into 
particles  that  set  the  hair  with  amethysts  instead  of 
pearls.  ...  It  is  this  daily  mist-shower  that  bequeaths 


Vancouver's  Side-Trips  143 

to  British  Columbia  and  Alaska  their  marvelous  and  lux- 
uriant growth  of  vegetation,  their  spiced  sweetness  of 
atmosphere,  their  fairness  and  freshness."  These  words 
might  impress  the  reader  as  a  somewhat  strained  effort  to 
convey  mental  impressions  by  means  of  similes,  which 
usually  fail  in  their  mission,  or  at  least  the  mission  in- 
tended for  them ;  but  at  least  they  give  a  fair  example 
of  the  intoxicating  delights  one  experiences  in  this  cruise, 
as  of  the  utter  impossibility  of  recording  those  delights 
upon  the  printed  page. 


CHAPTER  XI 

"the   AMERICAN   LIVERPOOL" 

Ten  years  ago  the  engineers  and  surveyors  had  made 
their  reports.  "  Here,"  they  said,  pointing  to  Kaien 
Island,  which  lies  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of 
Vancouver  in  practically  the  same  latitude  as  London. 
It  was  an  island  about  twenty-eight  square  miles  in  ex- 
tent, an  island  of  tremendous  rocks  with  a  prominent 
mountain  peak  standing  erect  in  a  central  basin  of  peaks. 
*'  Here,"  they  repeated,  as  they  saw  by  their  figures  that 
the  land-locked  approach  by  water  was  fourteen  miles 
long  and  that  the  "  waterfront "  was  thirty  miles  in  ex- 
tent. A  further  argument  was  that  Kaien  Island  was  five 
hundred  miles  nearer  to  Japan  and  China  than  the  Pacific 
ports  further  south.  "  If  there  was  a  railroad,"  said 
one,  the  traveler  could  be  in  Winnipeg  if  he  landed  here 
as  soon  as  he  would  be  disembarking  from  an  Asiatic 
steamer  at  the  docks  of  Vancouver.  The  waters  here 
teem  with  fish  of  all  sizes  from  shrimps  to  whales.  The 
distance  from  Liverpool  to  Yokohama  via  Kaien  Island 
is  eight  hundred  miles  shorter  than  via  New  York  and 
San  Francisco.     This  is  the  place !  " 

It  was  supposed  to  be  a  very  cold  region,  and,  when  it 
was  less  cold,  it  was  rainy.  Perhaps  there  was  some 
hesitation,  but  the  scientists  who  specialize  on  climate 
said  the  same  word  "  here,"  when  they  were  asked  for  an 
opinion.  They  said  that  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  would 
alter  the  climatic  conditions  and  pointed  to  the  fact  that 

144 


"  The  American  Liverpool "  145 

the  climate  of  Quebec  and  Ontario  was  changed  in  the 
same  way.  In  Manitoba  the  earhest  settlers  lost  their 
crops  by  summer  frosts,  something  that  has  not  happened 
in  recent  years.  "  Cultivated  soil  stores  up  heat  and 
radiates  it  to  keep  off  frost,"  they  said,  "  vote  in  favor 
of  Kaien  Island." 

By  an  act  of  Parliament  in  1903  the  Grank  Trunk 
Pacific  railway  came  into  being,  under  an  agreement  with 
the  Canadian  Government  for  the  building  and  opera- 
tion of  a  railroad.  It  was  to  penetrate  a  virgin  terri- 
tory of  vast  natural  resources,  timber,  mineral  wealth  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  acres  of  arable  land  suitable  to  the 
plow  and  for  grazing  purposes.  The  route  was  agreed 
upon,  a  vast  hinterland  that  awaited  the  farmer,  lumber- 
man and  miner ;  all  seemed  definitely  settled  excepting  the 
very  important  matter  of  the  Pacific  terminus.  Natu- 
rally, there  was  a  lively  speculation  as  to  the  site  agreed 
upon  and  several  places  were  erroneously  reported  to  have 
been  selected.  The  report  of  the  engineers  and  other 
experts  was  carefully  concealed  from  the  public  which  was 
stirred  to  a  flurry  of  excitement  by  the  possibility  of  ar- 
riving in  advance  upon  the  scene  of  a  future  port  city 
that  might  repeat  the  history  of  San  Francisco,  Seattle 
or  Vancouver.  The  great  all-Canadian  continental  line 
ran  far  to  the  north  of  other  railroads  and  in  many 
lands  it  might  have  been  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to 
anticipate  the  Pacific  terminus ;  but  this  was  impossible  on 
the  coast  of  Canada,  where  nature  has  carved  the  shore 
with  a  series  of  splendid  inlets,  any  of  which  is  a  port 
city  in  prospect.  In  October,  1906,  however,  the  late 
Charles  Melville  Hays,  at  that  time  president  of  the  rail- 
road system,  visited  Kaien  Island  and  not  only  agreed 
with  the  surveyors  and  engineers  who  had  preceded  him, 


146  Sunset  Canada 


but  confirmed  their  findings.  "  Here,"  he  said  in  a 
dramatic  moment  that  must  always  be  considered  one  of 
great  importance  in  the  history  of  Western  Canada,  for 
his  words  gave  birth  to  a  city  of  undoubted  future  great- 
ness and  upon  the  huge  rock  where  he  stood  the  city  be- 
gan to  grow  almost  immediately  as  if  an  enchanted  wand 
had  been  raised  over  the  spot. 

Most  of  the  cities  of  the  world  have  had  a  slow  growth. 
The  rule  has  had  exceptions  several  times  in  Canada, 
where  such  centers  of  population  as  Winnipeg,  Calgary 
and  Vancouver  survived  the  dangerous  process  that  is 
popularly  known  as  "  mushroom  growth  "  and  literally 
became  cities  almost  between  the  setting  and  rising  of  the 
sun;  but  even  Calgary  and  Winnipeg  seemed  the  evolu- 
tion and  growth  of  trading  posts  long  ago  selected  by  the 
Indians  as  representatives  of  the  fur  companies.  There 
were  sawmills  near  the  present  site  of  Vancouver  and 
around  them  were  small  villages ;  the  place  seemed  marked 
by  fate  to  become  a  metropolis.  The  conditions  were 
different  at  Prince  Rupert,  which  was  located  in  a  region 
that  seemed  to  have  been  overlooked  by  builders  of  rail- 
roads and  future  cities.  And  availing  themselves  of  the 
exceptional  opportunities  offered,  the  promoters  of  Prince 
Rupert  immediately  laid  the  foundation  of  a  city  of  ten 
thousand  inhabitants  and  placed  the  contract  in  the  hands 
of  an  American  firm  for  execution.  Whatever  it  may 
become  in  future,  and  its  inhabitants  are  certain  that  it 
will  become  to  Canada  what  Liverpool  is  to  England, 
Prince  Rupert  was  Boston  made.  It  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  commissions  ever  undertaken  and  must  have 
appealed  to  the  imagination  of  the  men  who  received  it. 
Not  Algiers,  Amalfi  nor  Hongkong  set  on  terraced  hills 
have  a  more  imposing  situation  than  this  rocky  eminence 


*'  The  American  Liverpool " 147 

of  Kaien  Island.  "  Plan  the  city  that  will  accommodate 
ten  thousand  inhabitants,  a  modern  city  in  every  respect 
and  a  beautiful  city,"  were  the  instructions  to  those  who 
undertook  the  task  of  landscape  architecture.  The  re- 
sult was  that  most  of  the  streets,  parks,  and  squares  have 
a  rare  scenic  outlook.  There  are  ninety  acres  of  parks 
and  playgrounds  and  the  area  of  the  city  proper  included 
something  like  two  thousand  acres.  A  water  gravity  sys- 
tem was  installed,  the  supply  coming  from  a  lake  five 
miles  distant.  Twenty  miles  of  plank  roads  were  built, 
and  as  it  was  planned  and  plotted  before  any  buildings 
were  erected  nothing  was  overlooked  that  might  add  to 
the  attractiveness  and  symmetry.  Lots  were  first  sold 
in  May,  1909,  and  in  six  months  four  thousand  six  hun- 
dred of  them  had  passed  to  private  ownership.  The  first 
sale  amounting  to  over  a  million  dollars.  It  has  been 
said  that  these  first  inhabitants  were  a  peculiar  sort  of 
men,  almost  unique  perhaps  in  their  grim  determination 
to  make  Prince  Rupert  a  great  city.  They  overcame 
obstacles  some  of  which  may  have  been  anticipated  and 
others  which  arose  to  balk  their  progress.  But  they  had 
only  one  thought.  They  pulled  together  and  helped  one 
another  in  the  great  object.  Speculation  in  the  real  estate 
there  was  of  course,  and  many  men  made  large  sums  of 
money  within  a  few  days,  as  matters  were  adjusting 
themselves  and  land  values  mounted  in  response  to  re- 
ports of  large  business  prospects  in  the  neighbourhood. 
But  most  of  the  purchasers  had  decided  to  make  Prince 
Rupert  their  home;  it  was  to  be  their  city  and  they  felt 
a  personal  interest  in  its  welfare.  It  is  said  that  one 
speculator,  an  Englishman,  purchased  so  many  lots  that  it 
was  believed  he  was  doing  it  for  some  "  boone  "  pur- 
pose, which  was  not  looked  upon  with  favour  by  his  asso- 


148  Sunset  Canada 


ciates;  but  it  developed  that  he  bought  heavily  because 
he  had  great  faith  in  the  investment  and  inside  of  twelve 
hours  after  the  purchase  had  sold  enough  property  to 
show  profit  of  fourteen  per  cent,  on  the  investment. 

F.  A.  Talbot,  who  was  on  the  scene  in  the  first  days 
and  wrote  The  Nezv  Garden  of  Canada  about  what 
he  saw,  says :  "  In  the  early  days  they  were  exciting 
times.  The  hub  of  activity  was  the  point  on  the  water- 
front where  vessels  called  and  unloaded.  The  quay 
space  was  being  leveled.  The  shacks  were  of  timber  with 
shingled  roofs.  Suddenly  there  would  be  heard  the 
strident  blast  of  a  siren.  Instantly  one  and  all  hustled 
away  from  the  water's  edge  to  a  respectful  distance, 
leaving  all  buildings  vacant.  Workmen  would  be  seen 
tumbling  across  the  ragged  ground  as  a  second  blast 
rang  out.  A  few  seconds  of  intense  silence.  Then  a 
violent  shivering  under  foot,  and  a  tremendous  bellow, 
accompanied  by  plumes  of  smoke,  dust  and  debris  rising 
gracefully  into  the  air.  All  eyes  were  turned  skywards, 
and  dodging  rocks  as  they  descended  was  an  exhilarating 
pastime.  There  would  be  heard  the  sharp  crack,  crack, 
crack  as  of  sniping  rifles,  as  a  few  pounds  of  disinte- 
grated rock  swooped  down  into  the  streets  and  riddled  the 
shacks.  When  the  citizens  returned  they  found  the  roofs 
of  their  establishments  perforated  like  a  pepper-box. 
Out  in  the  yard  were  shacks  of  shingles,  and  soon  one 
and  all  were  aloft  their  buildings  putting  the  damage 
aright.  Riddled  houses  and  shops  were  the  penalties 
exacted  for  being  in  a  hurry  to  settle  down  in  the  new 
hub  of  commerce  before  the  fabric  had  been  fashioned. 
Strange  to  say,  never  a  man  was  killed.  One  or  two  re- 
ceived contusions  from  falling  missiles,  and  that  was 
all." 


"  The  American  Liverpool  *' 149 

Many  things  soon  transpired  that  kept  up  the  orgy  of 
civic  enthusiasm.  A  drydock  was  constructed  at  a  cost 
of  $2,000,000  that  will  float  any  ship  on  the  Pacific  ocean. 
A  cold  storage  plant  having  a  capacity  of  seven  thousand 
tons  was  built  in  anticipation  of  the  development  of  the 
fish  industry,  while  the  railway  had  constructed  one  hun- 
dred specially  designed  refrigerator  cars  for  the  same 
purpose.  It  became  known  that  the  spruce,  hemlock  and 
cedar  in  the  forests  within  a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles 
had  enough  timber  to  supply  twenty-five  mills  for  twenty 
years.  A  whaling  station  was  built,  banks,  newspapers, 
hotels  and  wholesale  as  well  as  retail  stores  were  estab- 
lished. The  provincial  government  made  Prince  Rupert 
the  headquarters  for  the  northern  part  of  the  province, 
and  buildings  were  erected  for  officials,  a  court  house, 
jail,  customs  house,  postoffice,  wareless  station  and 
churches.  Enthusiasm  knew  no  bounds.  The  most 
beautiful  part  of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  island  was 
selected  for  the  residential  section  and  it  was  connected 
with  the  business  section  by  a  broad  highway,  which 
forms  a  link  in  the  great  circular  drive  of  twenty  miles 
around  Kaien's  circumference.  It  is  likely  that  in  fu- 
ture the  great  fishing  trade  of  the  North  will  center 
around  Prince  Rupert  as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  the  cod 
and  salmon  industry  and  within  a  few  miles  of  the  har- 
bour are  the  great  halibut  banks.  The  first  train  was 
run  from  Winnipeg  to  Prince  Rupert  and  arrived  at  the 
latter  terminal  April  9,  1914.  It  reached  a  romantic 
young  city  that  is  in  many  respects  the  most  modern  in 
the  world.  It  has  single  tax,  owns  its  own  electric  light 
and  power  plant,  telephone  and  water  systems.  And  the 
greatest  surprise  of  all  was  the  climate,  for  while  the 
world  had  the  opinion  that  any  place  so  far  north  must 


150  Sunset  Canada 


be  very  cold  it  was  found  that  the  thermometer  rarely 
went  far  below  zero  in  winter.  The  rain  full  averages 
one  hundred  and  five  inches  in  the  year,  but  the  snowfall 
only  two  inches. 

The  enthusiasm,  civic  pride,  or  whatever  a  loyal  feel- 
ing toward  a  city  may  be  called  in  lieu  of  no  English 
word  which  means  what  patriotism  means  toward  native 
land,  has  not  decreased  in  the  passing  of  the  few  years 
since  the  first  days  of  excitement.  Every  resident  of 
Prince  Rupert  is  certain  that  it  will  not  only  become  a 
great  commercial  metropolis,  but  that  the  tide  of  travel 
will  change  and  that  tourists  who  visit  the  province  of 
British  Columbia  will  not  consider  their  tour  complete 
unless  they  have  seen  Prince  Rupert,  its  environs  and 
the  territory  between  the  coast  and  Edmonton,  opened 
by  the  new  railroad  and  only  a  few  years  ago  considered 
"  Furthest  North  "  and  which  now  seems  to  roll  back 
that  barrier  a  thousand  miles  toward  the  top  of  the  map. 
Prince  Rupert  is  worth  seeing,  when  one  thinks  how  it 
has  sprung  from  a  rock  as  by  miracle,  and  its  scenic  en- 
virons will  repay  a  visit;  but  I  venture  the  opinion  that 
as  a  tourist's  city  it  will  remain  for  many  years  what 
Vancouver  was  in  its  earlier  days,  only  a  roadhouse  on 
the  long  highway.  People  are  likely  to  remain  only  a  day 
or  two  between  train  and  steamer,  until  better  acquainted 
with  the  rugged  beauty  of  the  vicinity  and  until  carefully 
planned  excursions  are  in  operation  over  the  principal 
routes.  Visitors  are  certain  to  arrive  as  sufferers  from 
scenic  indigestion,  as  they  will  have  passed  either  through 
the  marvelous  pathway  between  the  mountains,  or  on  a 
steamer  that  has  cruised  among  islands,  across  bays  and 
through  fjords  that  are  equal  in  beauty  to  any  to  be 
encountered  on  the  European  continent.     They  are  likely 


^'  The  American  Liverpool " 151 

to  be  overfed  on  scenic  beauty ;  they  will  have  exhausted 
their  vocabulary  of  expletives  and  adjectives,  and  in  a 
relapse  from  superlatives  they  will  again  arrive  at  the 
positive  degree.  Compared  to  other  great  port  cities, 
Prince  Rupert  is  disappointing;  when  one  recalls  what 
it  was  ten  years  ago,  however,  and  what  it  is  to-day,  as 
well  as  what  it  may  be  ten  years  hence,  it  has  no  equal 
on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Among  attractive  excursions  from  the  city  are  those 
by  steamer  to  the  Portland  Canal,  Observatory  Inlet, 
Port  Simpson  near  the  Alaskan  boundary,  Anyox,  Atlin, 
which  is  reached  via  Alaskan  ports,  Skagway,  Alaska, 
only  two  days  away,  and,  as  before  noted,  any  of  the 
long  or  short  cruises  to  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands. 

The  traveler  who  makes  an  all-Canada  tour,  instead 
of  going  or  returning  through  the  United  States  will  not 
regret  it  if  he  tangents  from  Winnipeg  and  completes 
the  triangle  that  includes  the  coast  between  Vancouver 
and  Prince  Rupert  and  either  outward  bound  or  return- 
ing takes  the  northern  route.  The  latter  is  certain  to 
grow  in  popularity,  for  although  the  great  railroad  was 
projected  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  communication  to 
the  vast  agricultural  lands  of  the  Far  North,  although  it 
passes  through  only  three  or  four  towns  that  are  entitled 
to  rank  as  cities,  like  Prince  George  (a  station  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  company  over  a  century  ago),  Hazelton 
and  leseer  settlements,  the  road  leads  to  Jasper  Park, 
certain  to  become  a  Mecca  for  tourists  to  Mount  Rob- 
son  ("giant  among  giants,  immeasurably  supreme"), 
through  the  Yellowhead  Pass,  along  the  Skeena  River 
and  along  a  scenic  route  that  compares  favourably  to 
what  may  be  encountered  on  lines  further  south,  while 
frequently  there  are  pictures  in  the  region  that  challenge 


152  Sunset  Canada 


comparison,  a  matter  which  must  remain  one  of  personal 
opinion  and  judgment.  Best  of  all  tours  through  the 
Canadian  Rockies  and  the  most  comprehensive,  would  be 
that  beginning  at  Prince  Rupert  east  to  Jasper  Park, 
through  the  trail  to  Lake  Louise  and  back  to  the  coast  at 
Vancouver.  At  the  present  time  it  is  a  somewhat  stren- 
uous journey;  but  surveys  have  been  made  and  pre- 
liminary arrangements  looking  to  the  construction  of  a 
motor  route  connecting  the  Grand  Trunk  Pacific  and  the 
Canadian  Pacific  railways  through  the  mountain  passes. 
If  this  is  done,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  most  beautiful 
scenery  on  the  North  American  continent  will  be  made 
easily  accessible  and  tourists  will  not  be  slow  in  respond- 
ing to  the  opportunity  offered. 

Westbound  passengers  over  the  Grand  Trunk  Pacific 
leave  the  prairies  and  en.ter  the  Rocky  Mountains  through 
the  celebrated  Yellowhead  Pass  (a  translation  of  Tete 
Jaime)  which  it  was  named  by  the  Indians  and  half-breed 
hunters  after  a  trapper  in  the  service  of  Jasper  Hawes 
at  the  Hudson's  Bay  post  in  Jasper  Park,  who  was  dis- 
tinguished among  men  for  his  great  shock  of  '*  yellow  " 
hair.  He  is  said  to  have  been  an  Iroquois  of  huge 
stature  and  perhaps  his  hair  was  red,  but  the  Indians 
called  him  "  Yellow  Head  "  and  as  he  always  selected 
the  ravine  in  the  mountains  between  the  post  and  the 
Fraser  River  for  his  rapid  journeys  the  trail  became 
known  as  the  "  Pass  of  Tete  Jaune,"  which  has  been 
perpetuated  by  travelers  since  his  time  and  by  the  rail- 
road. No  more  attractive  introduction  to  impending 
scenic  marvels  could  be  wished  for;  the  entrance  being 
guarded  by  Boule  Roche  Mountain  and  Roche  a  Pedrix, 
which  also  serve  as  the  entrance  to  Jasper  Park. 

This  great  national  reserve  of  over   four  thousand 


*'The  American  Liverpool" 153 

square  miles  has  been  set  aside  by  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment and  will  be  kept  from  spoliation  at  the  hands  of  lum- 
bermen or  hunters  and  for  the  perpetual  enjoyment  of 
visitors.  The  townsite  of  Jasper  is  situated  on  a  plateau 
at  the  base  of  Pyramid  Mountain  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Myette  and  Athabasca  rivers.  Jasper  Mountain  over- 
looks the  town,  which  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Dominion 
Government  Officials,  who  have  supervision  of  the  Park. 
Hunting  within  the  Park  enclosure  is  not  permitted,  but 
fishing  is  good  for  those  who  desire  it;  but  for  some  time 
to  come,  the  principal  joy  of  the  region  will  consist  simply 
in  seeing  it.  Mountain-climbers,  professional  and  ama- 
teur, will  find  ample  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  their 
favourite  pastime  and  those  who  delight  in  following  the 
trail  will  find  the  vast  Park  a  paradise.  Carriage-roads 
have  been  built  from  Jasper  to  Pyramid  Lake  at  the 
foot  of  Pyramid  Mountain,  a  distance  of  a  little  over 
four  miles,  and  also  around  Edith  and  Beau  Vert  Lakes 
through  six  miles  of  fragrant  woods  to  Jasper  Mountain 
and  the  Maligne  Canyon,  at  which  point  a  second  trail 
leads  for  some  twenty-three  miles  up  the  Maligne  River, 
past  Medicine  Lake  to  Jack  Lake,  where  there  is  excel- 
lent fishing  for  rainbow  and  Dolly  Varden  trout.  From 
Medicine  Lake  a  pleasant  return  trip  may  be  made  across 
the  Divide  to  the  East  by  way  of  the  South  Esk,  which 
stream  is  descended  to  the  Brazeau  River,  where  elk 
and  moose  are  to  be  met  with,  and  Brazeau  Lake,  thence 
to  the  Sunwapiti  River  to  the  Athabasca  and  so  on  to 
Jasper  from  Athabasca  Falls,  which  descend  a  spectacu- 
lar chasm  surmounted-  by  a  bridge,  where  Sir  Arthur 
Conan  Dt)yle  and  his  party  were  photographed,  the  pic- 
ture having  become  familiar  to  readers.  The  ground  in 
this  region  has  been  so  improved  as  to  render  it  par- 


154  Sunset  Canada 


ticularly  attractive  for  camp  sites  and  a  lodge  has  been 
built  for  the  game  and  fire  wardens. 

A  trail  has  also  been  built  by  way  of  Maligne  Gorge, 
along  the  valley  between  Maligne  Mountain  and  the  Colin 
Range,  past  Medicine  Lake  to  Maligne  Lake.  This  is 
perhaps  the  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water  in  the  Rockies, 
if  one  is  to  accept  the  verdict  of  many  travelers.  The 
tourist  may  return  from  the  Lake  by  way  of  Shovel  Pass, 
a  magnificent  route  of  thirty-five  miles,  which  takes  him 
up  to  an  altitude  of  nearly  eight  thousand  feet  and  affords 
one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  whole  mountain  system. 
Ice  fields  and  many  snow-capped  mountains,  most  of 
them  unnamed,  may  be  seen  from  an  elevation  a  few 
feet  above  the  Pass.  On  the  descent,  Mount  Edith 
Cavell  in  all  its  magnificence  is  in  full  view,  wnth  grim 
Hardisty  in  the  distance. 

There  is  a  bridle  trail  from  the  station  up  Jasper 
Mountain  where  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Athabasca 
may  be  obtained,  up  to  the  Whirlpool  River,  past  Mount 
Edith  Cavell  and  on  towards  the  Athabasca  Pass  and 
the  Committee's  Punch  Bowl. 

Not  two  miles  from  the  station  is  Beau  Vert  ( formerly 
Horseshoe)  Lake,  where  there  are  waters  of  continually 
changing  green  and  blue  which  afford  every  facility  for 
boating,  bathing  and  fishing.  Among  other  trails  from 
Jasper  is  one  southward  to  Mount  Edith  Cavell,  formerly 
known  as  Mount  Geikie,  which  is  suitable  for  motor  cars 
and  gives  access  to  a  large  glacier  that  hangs  between 
three  peaks. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  excursions,  however,  that 
already  are  available  to  the  visitor  who  is  not  frightened 
but  thrilled  by  the  prospect  of  what  may  be  called  rather 
luxurious  "  roughing  it."     Hotels  have  not  yet  been  built 


"  The  American  Liverpool "  155 

to  "  entertain  "  guests  as  they  would  expect  to  be  enter- 
tained on  the  boulevard  of  a  large  city;  but  ample  pro- 
visions are  readily  made  by  campers'  outfitters  and  guides, 
who  make  it  possible  for  one  to  obtain  plenty  of  good, 
wholesome  food  throughout  the  pilgrimage  and  at  night 
to  lie  down  within  well-sheltered  tents,  through  which 
the  breezes  laden  with  aromatic  pine  needles  blow  fresh 
from  the  great  drifts  of  glistening  snow.  R.  Kenneth 
maintains  a  camp  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Beau  Vert  in  a 
supremely  beautiful  location  and  with  full  equipment  of 
canoes,  saddle-horses,  driving  conveyances,  photographer, 
guides  and  a  "  tent  city  "  life  that  is  certain  to  fascinate 
all  who  give  it  a  trial. 

Of  supreme  interest  for  some  time  to  come  is  likely  to 
be  Mount  Edith  Cavell,  not  alone  because  it  is  one  of  the 
most  majestic  peaks  in  a  large  group,  but  on  account  of 
sentimental  attachments  toward  the  heroine  whose  name 
it  bears.  It  is  over  eleven  thousand  feet  high  and  can 
be  seen  plainly  from  Jasper  Station,  although  it  lies 
twelve  miles  distant.  Its  northern  face  is  eternally  cov- 
ered with  snow  and  glaciers,  and  lying  between  it  and 
an  unnamed  peak  is  a  tremendous  glacier  rock  that  closely 
resembles  the  form  of  a  woman  with  hands  extended 
toward  the  side  of  the  mountain,  which  it  is  proposed 
to  christen  Mount  Sorrow.  The  snows  melt  on  Mount 
Edith  Cavell  and  fall  in  a  cascade  to  Cavell  River,  one 
of  the  highest  waterfalls  in  the  entire  system.  The  river 
forms  southwest  of  the  mountain  and  flows  north- 
ward through  a  mountain-flanked  valley  to  the  Atha- 
basca. On  the  mountain  is  a  beautiful  lake  of  jade-green 
water. 

Byron  Harmon,  professionally  a  photographer,  as 
thousands  of  tourists  realize  every  year  when  they  shuffle 


156  Sunset  Canada 


through  the  thousands  of  views  that  he  has  taken  of  the 
Canadian  Rockies,  which  are  exhibited  in  studios  and 
shops  from  Hongkong  to  London,  is  by  nature  an  Alpin- 
ist and  wilderness-haunter,  and  he  declares  that  in  all 
the  territory  between  Calgary  and  the  Pacific  coast,  most 
of  which  he  has  covered  many  times,  preferably  on  foot, 
but  also  by  pony,  canoe  and  train,  there  is  none  so  mar- 
velous as  that  lying  between  Jasper  and  Lake  Louise,  a 
distance  by  trail  of  something  like  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles.  "  Lake  Louise  is  in  one  Dominion 
Park  "  he  said  to  me  as  I  was  looking  over  some  of  his 
remarkable  collection  of  photographs,  "  and  Jasper  Park 
is  in  another.  One  of  these  days  the  government  will 
construct  at  least  a  motor  road  connecting  the  two.  In 
fact,  I  understand  that  a  preliminary  survey  has  already 
been  made.  I  am  certain  that  when  this  territory,  which 
now  takes  about  eighteen  days  to  cover  properly  by  pony, 
is  made  a  little  more  convenient  to  the  general  public 
which  now  seems  to  be  afraid  of  the  mountains,  lakes  and 
valleys  that  are  not  visited  by  railways,  the  world  will 
concede  that  on  this  route  and  in  this  region  is  scenery 
that  cannot  be  matched  on  this  side  of  the  world.  Those 
of  us  who  have  made  the  trip,  once,  twice,  or  several 
times,  may  have  become  enthusiasts  to  a  certain  degree; 
but  the  truth  is  that  we  are  obliged  to  smile  when  we  read 
descriptions  in  which  the  superlative  degree  is  used  relat- 
ing to  other  places  on  this  continent.  As  yet,  we  form 
a  comparatively  small  group,  although  the  tourists  are  be- 
ginning to  follow  the  trail  and  the  number  is  increasing 
every  season.  And  when  we  read  an  article  about  this 
and  that  view  being  *  the  most  superb  in  North  America,' 
we  know  that  if  does  not  refer  to  the  country  lying  be- 
tween Mount  Robson,  Jasper  Park  and  Lake  Louise,  it 


''The  American  Liverpool" 157 

was  written  by  some  one  who  has  never  covered  this 
territory. 

"  I  imagine  that  the  usual  traveler  in  western  Canada 
believes  that  nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  Lake 
Louise;  I  would  refer  him  to  Maligne  Lake.  Probably 
he  will  praise  the  Illecillewaet  Glacier  at  Glacier  above  all 
others;  I  would  refer  him  to  that  on  Mount  Robson.  He 
will  extol  the  great  field  of  ice  that  lies  on  the  mountain 
top  over  Sir  Donald's  shoulder;  but  I  will  call  his  atten- 
tion to  the  ice  field  estimated  at  two  hundred  square  miles 
in  area  around  Mount  Columbia.  Many  people  believe 
that  the  Yoho  Valley  is  the  most  beautiful  on  the  conti- 
nent; but  if  they  do,  they  have  not  seen  the  valley  of 
Bear  Creek,  which  runs  to  the  north  fork  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan. Mount  Sir  Donald  is  beautiful  and  high,  so 
is  Mount  Stephen,  and  so  are  any  number  of  peaks;  but 
none  of  them  is  so  high  and  none  so  superb  as  Mount 
Robson,  the  loftiest  pinnacle  in  the  Canadian  Rockies. 
So  on  and  on,  point  by  point,  I  will  meet  them  and  contest 
every  claim. 

"  There  is  not  the  hardship  in  making  this  trip  that 
some  people  imagine.  A  guide  will  be  necessary  for  the 
average  traveler,  and  he  should  go  well  equipped  with 
camping  apparatus,  preferably  the  outfits  arranged  by 
some  one  of  experience,  because  he  is  unlikely  to  find  any 
means  of  replenishing  his  stock  '  between  stations.'  So 
far  as  there  being  human  habitations  is  concerned,  one 
may  pass  the  entire  distance  without  seeing  a  person  save 
his  companions.  Some  of  the  territory  lies  along  the 
route  of  the  old  Hudson's  Bay  company  fur  traders  and 
an  occasional  trapper  may  cross  the  trail  to-day ;  but  one 
does  not  see  them.  Provisions  and  necessary  camping 
apparatus  are  carried  on  pack  horses  —  those  that  are 


158  Sunset  Canada 


able  to  swim  the  Saskatchewan,  there  being  no  other 
means  of  crossing  it.  Probably  one  who  is  not  a  sea- 
soned hiker  should  ride.  Personally,  I  prefer  to  cover 
the  trail  on  foot,  and  instead  of  going  or  trying  to  go 
straight  between  the  two  termini,  as  the  Czar  is  said  to 
have  commanded  when  he  drew  a  line  with  a  ruler  be- 
tween St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow  and  said :  *  Construct 
a  railroad  here,'  it  is  preferable  to  make  many  detours 
where,  as  for  example,  around  Mount  Columbia,  the  sec- 
ond highest  peak  in  Canada,  one  becomes  almost  an 
explorer,  because  the  district  is  almost  wholly  un- 
known. 

"  Crossing  beyond  Jasper  Park,  a  stream  leads  to 
Maligne  Lake.  Beyond  this,  old  Indian  trails  lead  to 
Wilcox  Pass.  Then  along  a  fork  of  the  Saskatchewan, 
with  a  view  of  several  of  the  highest  peaks  in  the  Rockies, 
Beau  Pass  and  Beau  Lake,  Hector  Lake  and  finally  to 
Lake  Louise. 

"  Here  is  everything  to  delight  the  traveler,  something 
to  suit  every  taste.  Game,  with  the  exception  of  moun- 
tain goat  and  sheep,  I  would  not  call  *  plentiful ' ;  but  an 
occasional  bear  is  met  with  and  several  other  animals. 
The  climate  is  often  not  what  would  be  called  '  mild,' 
for  I  have  seen  the  snow  pile  up  in  huge  drifts  that 
made  it  necessary  for  us  to  dig  trails  for  the  horses  in 
September.  No,  it  is  not  a  '  tame  cat '  excursion ;  but  it 
is  a  superb  experience,  one  to  be  cherished  in  memory 
throughout  a  lifetime.  There  is  only  one  fault  to  find 
with  it;  when  you  have  reached  Lake  Louise  on  the 
downward  trip  you  are  so  fascinated  with  all  that  you 
have  seen,  everything  else  seems  so  much  less  by  com- 
parison, that  you  want  to  turn  back  and  go  over  the  same 
route  again  and  most  of  us  are  so  busy  that  we  cannot 


Courtesy  of  Grand  Trunk  Pacific  Railway. 

EMPEROR  FALLS. 


"The  American  Liverpool"  159 

spend  the  time  to  follow  natural  inclinations  and  desires 
and  must  wait  until  another  summer." 

The  western  boundary  between  Jasper  Park  and  Mount 
Robson  Park  is  also  the  boundary  line  between  Alberta 
and  British  Columbia,  and  as  it  is  passed  the  traveler 
immediately  finds  himself  in  another  government  national 
reserve  almost  as  large  as  Jasper  Park  and  combined  with 
it,  covering  an  area  as  large  as  Switzerland,  to  which  it  is 
so  closely  related  by  natural  marvels.  Mount  Robson  is 
13,068  feet  high,  which  gives  it  supremacy  among  the 
Rockies;  but  it  has  other  points  which  make  it  notable 
among  the  world's  mountains.  It  is  frequently  the  case 
that  high  mountains  are  approached  by  lower  hills  and 
mountains  that  lead  up  to  them  by  degrees.  Robson 
towers  above  all  surrounding  peaks,  however,  and  stands 
out  boldly  in  majestic  isolation  over  two  thousand  feet 
above  all  its  neighbours,  most  notable  of  which  nearby 
is  Mount  Resplendent.  It  is  beautiful  when  its  head  is 
hidden  in  mist,  as  is  so  frequently  the  case,  beautiful 
in  the  full  sunlight  and  beautiful  in  the  light  of  the  moon 
—  always  visible  in  some  form  from  the  car  window  to 
those  who  do  not  stop  to  obtain  a  more  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  it  by  following  the  trail  that  leads  around  its 
northern  base  to  the  Grand  Fork  River,  the  shore  of 
Lake  Helena,  through  the  Valley  of  a  Thousand  Falls, 
with  the  celebrated  "  Emperor  Falls  "  in  view,  to  Berg 
Lake  and  Robson  Pass.  Mount  Robson  has  a  large 
glacier  from  which  small  and  huge  icebergs  break  off 
and  drift  to  and  fro  upon  the  waters  of  the  lake.  The 
giant  peak  does  not  pass  from  sight  of  the  train  windows 
for  a  distance  of  twelve  miles. 

Major  C.  H.  Mitchell  has  gladly  provided  this  tribute 
and  testimonial  on  the  request  of  the  railroad :     "  I  look 


160  Sunset  Canada 


back  with  the  keenest  pleasure  upon  my  fortnight  spent  in 
the  Mount  Robson  region  and  consider  it  to  be  the  most 
unique  and  interesting  of  my  many  holidays  in  the  Cana- 
dian Rockies  —  interesting  because  of  the  novelty  of 
being  entirely  new  and  almost  unexplored  country  and 
unique  because  this  region  stands  out  in  my  opinion,  far 
beyond  all  others  of  those  I  have  visited,  by  reason  of 
its  grandeur  and  its  magnificent  heights  and  distances. 
It  is  hard  to  conceive  of  a  grander  mountain  prospect 
than  greets  one  when  alighting  from  the  train  at  Mount 
Robson  station,  and  nowhere  else  in  my  travels  in  the 
Swiss  and  Tyrolese  Alps  or  in  the  Rockies  have  I  seen 
the  rare  view  of  a  great  mountain  peak  rising  in  a  sheer 
isolated  mass  ten  thousand  feet  from  the  valley  floor. 
The  route  which  we  followed  through  the  wonderful 
Valley  of  a  Thousand  Falls  was  in  itself  apart  from 
towering*  Robson,  a  trip  for  which  I  think  many  will 
travel  days  to  enjoy.  Not  until  one  gets  up  to  Robson 
Pass,  however,  does  the  real  greatness  of  this  great  moun- 
tain region  unfold  itself,  and  when  one  contemplates  the 
bulk  of  the  Robson  mass,  the  glistening  slopes  of  Resplen- 
dent and  the  towering  pyramid  of  Whitehorn,  he  will 
truly  stand  spellbound  among  their  grandeurs.  The 
Robson  glacier  is  unique  amongst  the  famous  glaciers  of 
the  world,  not  only  because  of  its  size,  length  and  breadth, 
but  because  of  its  uniformly  even  and  easy  slope." 

From  Mount  Robson  the  route  onward  toward  Prince 
Rupert  follows  the  waters  of  the  Fraser,  the  line  running 
high  above  the  stream.  This  great  river,  which  has  its 
headwaters  in  the  Yellowhead,  flows  through  a  broad 
valley  and  waters  great  fertile  tracts  before  it  enters  into 
the  Pacific  eight  hundred  miles  away.  At  Prince  George 
the  Fraser  turns  sharply  to  the  South,  but  the  line  of  the 


Courtef )•  of  Byron  Harmon. 

MOUNT    ROBSON    GLACIER. 


"The  American  Liverpool"  161 

railway  continues  west  through  another  valley,  the 
Nechako,  characterized  by  its  wealth  of  plateau  and  val- 
ley lands  suitable  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  along  its 
course  are  many  gems  of  sylvan  scenery.  Vanderhoof, 
the  capital  of  the  Nechako  Valley,  is  the  gateway  of  the 
lake  regions  of  British  Columbia's  northland.  Not  far 
from  Hazelton  the  Bulkley  meets  the  Skeena  River,  and 
the  railway  follows  the  Skeena  down  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 
Near  the  junction  of  the  rivers  is  the  Rocher  Deboule, 
known  as  the  Mountain  of  Minerals.  Quaint  Indian  vil- 
lages with  totem  poles  are  situated  along  the  banks  of  the 
Skeena  and  both  sides  of  the  river  are  fringed  with  moun- 
tains. One  of  these  peaks  was  chosen  in  the  spring  of 
19 1 6  to  bear  the  name  Mount  Sir  Robert  in  honour  of 
Canada's  prime  minister,  Sir  Robert  Borden.  This  peak 
can  be  seen  from  the  grade  near  Doreen  Station,  and 
on  its  flank  a  large  glacier  has  been  named  Borden 
Glacier. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   CITY   OF   GOLDEN    MEMORIES 

Victoria  never  was  gay.  In  its  days  of  wild  gold  ex- 
citement, when  twenty  thousand  men  were  encamped 
around  the  city,  either  bound  for  the  gold  of  the  Fraser 
River,  or  just  returned  with  sacks  of  the  precious  yellow 
stuff  that  usually  turns  men's  heads  and  causes  them  to 
do  as  they  would  not  have  done  under  any  other  circum- 
stances, they  seemed  to  feel  the  sedate  reticence  that  the 
visitor  detects  there  to-day.  The  "  lawless "  element 
was  subdued,  and  if  they  did  not  celebrate  their  good  for- 
tune before  they  reached  the  capital  of  Vancouver  Is- 
land they  waited  until  a  ship  took  them  to  San  Francisco. 
And  the  riff-raff  that  congregated  under  such  circum- 
stances was  never  spectacular.  It  was  wholly  different 
from  the  California  city  that  had  recently  passed  through 
a  similar  stampede.  There  were  no  Spanish  beauties  in 
gorgeous  gowns,  gentlemen  bedecked  in  pirate  costumes 
and  loaded  with  jewelry,  no  "  Yale  graduate  selling 
peanuts,  ex-governor  playing  the  fiddle  in  a  barroom, 
physician  washing  dishes  in  a  hotel,  minister  w^aiting  on 
table  in  a  restaurant  and  lawyer  paring  potatoes  in  the 
same  place" — to  quote  a  California  historian.  Even 
in  those  days  Victoria  boasted  that  in  all  this  California 
human  pot-pourri  the  Englishmen  kept  themselves  aloof 
from  the  others  and  engaged  in  a  small  part  of  the  hilarity 
that  reigned.  It  is  written  that  the  leading  London  mag- 
azines were  to  found  in  Englishmen's  camps  during  the 

162 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         163 

days  when  "  men  who  forgot  their  breeding  or  had  none  " 
were  exchanging  thousands  of  dollars  each  night  in 
gambling  and  other  vices.  Victoria  never  tolerated  any- 
thing of  the  sort  and  the  gold-hunters  never  seemed  to 
show  an  inclination  to  have  it  otherwise. 

But  British  Columbia  had  its  "  Paris,"  its  city  of 
gaiety,  where  "  all  the  world  "  stopped  long  enough  to 
squander  some  of  the  gold  taken  from  Fraser  River 
sands.  In  the  provincial  museum  at  Victoria  are  prints 
and  drawings  representing  the  life  in  Yale  at  that  period. 
The  streets  are  thickly  crowded  with  hoop-skirted  dames 
and  their  beaux,  some  of  whom  are  cutting  up  didoes  like 
dancing  a  sailor's  hornpipe  on  the  public  highway ;  a 
thing  that  would  have  been  frowned  upon  in  Victoria  or 
other  places  that  brought  their  traditional  "  good  form  " 
with  them  from  England.  It  seems  to  be  in  the  nature 
of  things  that  men  who  are  in  exceedingly  good  fortune 
shall  have  a  place  in  which  to  "  celebrate."  As  Yale 
marked  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Fraser  and  as  men 
stopped  off  there  either  outfitting  and  preparing  for  the 
gold  fields  or  returning  therefrom,  it  become  a  natural 
rendezvous  for  the  celebrants.  There  were  wine,  women 
and  song,  and  because  of  this  atmosphere  of  a  large  city 
and  owing  to  the  location  of  the  town  those  who  remained 
at  Yale  had  visions  of  the  day  when  it  would  become  an 
important  center  of  civilization.  But,  apparently,  not 
enough  remained.  I  looked  diligently,  but  I  could  find 
only  one  who  did  so,  although  he  said  that  there  had  been 
two  of  them,  "  the  other  one  died  a  few  years  back." 
After  a  time  the  rush  for  gold  subsided,  and  instead  of 
stopping  at  Yale  the  miners  hastened  along  to  other 
points.  The  railroad  came  —  and  the  death-knell  had 
been  sounded.     Nobody  cared  that  it  was  "  the  head  of 


164  Sunset  Canada 


navigation  on  the  Fraser,"  because  nobody  came  by  boat. 
They  took  the  train  at  Vancouver  and  it  barely  hesitated 
at  Yale  long  enough  for  a  passenger  to  alight  at  the  sta- 
tion platform.  The  station  remains,  a  general  store,  that 
is  also  the  postoffice,  hotel  and  there  is  a  church.  Also, 
no  doubt,  there  are  several  dwellings  back  from  the  river 
somewhere  in  the  trees,  for  on  the  Sunday  I  spent  there 
a  memorial  service  was  held  in  the  church  for  the  last 
pastor  and  at  least  twelve  distinct  individuals  came  from 
somewhere  and  attended  the  service.  But  Yale  is  dead. 
At  one  time  the  gayest  town  north  of  San  Francisco,  it 
now  has  a  few  citizens,  an  Indian  school,  a  group  of 
Indian  shacks  —  and  memories  of  its  golden  days. 

Starting  on  the  Trans-Canada  train  from  Vancouver, 
it  is  a  pleasant  ride  of  about  three  hours  to  Yale.  The 
railroad  runs  along  the  arm  of  Burrard  Inlet,  which  is 
in  reality  upper  Vancouver  harbour.  Mountains  to  the 
north,  south  and  east  make  a  pretty  picture,  and  as  one 
glances  ahead  he  wonders,  as  he  is  so  often  to  wonder 
on  this  route  of  curves  through  the  valleys,  where  the 
train  will  find  its  way  through  what  seem  to  be  impene- 
trable barriers.  There  is  snow  above  the  timberline  on 
these  heights.  One  glances  back  to  the  "  Lion's  Gate," 
which  guards  the  pathway  to  the  other  side  of  the  world, 
and  knows  that  the  great  city  of  Vancouver  has  been 
left  behind ;  but  the  transition  to  the  "  wilderness  "  has 
come  suddenly.  There  is  none  of  the  filth  and  litter  that 
one  has  come  to  expect  at  the  entrance  to  American  port 
cities.  A  few  sawmills  —  the  beginning  of  most  of  the 
villages  in  British  Columbia  —  reach  down  to  the  water's 
edge ;  but  they  are  soon  passed  and  then  all  is  forest  again, 
or  forest  marked  by  a  few  groups  of  bungalows  on  am- 
bitious townsites  that  have  not  yet  fulfilled  expectations. 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         165 

Westminster  Junction  reached  in  about  half  an  hour 
recalls  the  tragedy  of  the  "  Royal  City."  If  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific  railway  had  made  New  Westminster  its 
Pacific  terminus,  or  even  if  a  point  further  down  the 
river  had  been  selected,  then  Westminster  Junction  would 
have  marked  the  pathway  of  the  main  line,  and  Van- 
couver would  have  remained  the  name  of  an  island. 

The  rails  reach  the  river  banks  and  as  for  so  many 
miles  into  the  interior  follow  its  twistings  and  turnings. 
At  Agassiz,  across  the  river  from  Chilliwack,  one  plunges 
into  a  rich  dairy  country  among  the  foothills.  Fine 
herds  of  cattle  are  visible,  knee-deep  in  dark  green  grass 
that  stamps  this  as  a  "  butter  "  region,  like  Holland  or 
Denmark.  Pass  through  this  country  in  the  early  spring 
or  summer  and  the  swollen  waters  of  the  Fraser  in  the 
inlets  make  the  landscape  suggestive  of  the  European  low 
Countries  —  excepting  for  the  fact  that  within  view  of 
the  river  on  both  sides  are  towering  hills  with  a  fre- 
quent mountain  peak  beyond.  Agassiz  is  a  point  of  de- 
parture for  anglers  and  for  excursionists  bound  for  the 
hot  springs  nearby. 

As  the  train  pulled  into  Yale  I  alighted  and  asked  the 
station  agent  if  there  was  a  hotel.  He  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  and  as  I  collected  my  luggage  he  added: 
"  Maybe  it's  closed,  and,  then,  again,  maybe  it  isn't,  I 
can't  tell  you."  At  any  rate,  the  train  started  and  left 
the  station,  so  I  went  to  the  hotel  veranda.  The  man- 
ageress was  enjoying  a  noon-day  siesta,  as  she  had  no 
guests.  I  aroused  her  and  asked  if  the  hotel  was  open. 
She  did  not  move,  but  scrutinized  me  carefully  and 
replied:  "That  depends."  In  my  desperation  at  the 
thought  of  sleeping  in  the  grass  and  eating  crackers  pur- 
chased at  the  general  store  until  the  next  train  arrived, 


166  Sunset  Canada 


which  was  long  after  midnight,  I  assured  her  that  I  had 
stayed  at  some  of  the  best  hotels  in  the  world  and  some 
of  the  worst;  there  was  no  good  reason  why  — . 

"  I'll  take  you  in,"  she  interrupted,  as  if  overcome  with 
a  desire  to  do  a  good  act.  "  You  are  not  an  official  of 
any  kind,  are  you?"  Satisfied  as  to  these  doubts,  she 
ushered  me  to  a  neat  room  overlooking  the  river  and  fur- 
nished in  a  manner  that  might  be  described  as  Grand 
Rapids-Mid-Victorian.  And  soon  came  the  secret  of  so 
much  mystery.  "If  you  had  been  an  official  this  hotel 
would  have  been  'closed' — do  you  understand?"  I 
did  not,  but  she  continued :  "  That's  my  silent  protest. 
Yale  is  dead,  and  the  last  blow  came  when  the  govern- 
ment destroyed  the  old  suspension  bridge  at  Spuzzum. 
My  silent  protest  is  that  when  any  of  the  o^fficials  come 
to  Yale  there  is  no  place  for  him  to  stay  o\';er  night  or  get 
his  meals.  Now,  do  you  understand  ?  "  I  assured  her 
that  I  understood  perfectly  and  that  I*  considered  such 
love  for  a  town  and  a  bridge  truly; -touching.  And  con- 
tinuing the  conversation,  I  inquired"  if  she  knevv^  any  one 
who  had  come  to  Yale  in  its  golden  days  and  still  re- 
mained there.  "  Yes,  Ned  Stout,"  she  replied,  and 
directly  following  the  very  good  dinner  which  she  had 
prepared,  half-suspecting  that  some  one  might  enter 
Yale  by  the  noon  train  in  an  "  unofficial  "  capacity,  I 
started  out  to  find  the  man  whose  name  I  had  come 
across  many  times  in  reading  of  the  history  of  gold  in 
British  Columbia. 

A  few  Indian  shacks  line  Front  street,  which  is  now 
roamed  over  by  the  cows  and  horses  of  the  place,  which 
find  heavy  grass  between  the  stones  that  were  cleared 
back  .from  what  was  once  one  of  the  streets  upon  which 
the  world's  attention  was  focused.     Near  it  there  is  a 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         167 

neat,  tiny  cottage  surrounded  by  a  small  garden.  Two 
lilac  trees  stand  beside  the  gateway,  and  as  I  approached 
it  I  saw  an  old  man  pulling  one  of  the  purple  clusters 
to  his  nostrils.  Perhaps  ol)serving  me  coming  towards 
him,  he  let  the  bough  rise  into  place  and  puffed  at  his 
pipe.  Again  he  pulled  the  lilac  bloom  over  and  again 
puffed  his  pipe,  alternating  the  fragrance  of  the  nicotine 
and  the  blossoms.  He  was  the  oldest  white  man  perhaps 
in  all  British  Columbia ;  at  least  the  oldest  citizen  of  Yale. 
You  can  see  his  cottage  and  garden  as  the  train  stops 
beside  it,  because  it  borders  the  station  grounds.  It  was 
Edward  Stout,  commonly  known  as  "  Dutch  Ned,"  or 
"  Ned  "  in  the  chronicles  of  the  golden  era  of  the  Fraser 
River.  He  is  the  "  last  leaf  on  the  bough,"  and  he  rather 
enjoys  the  distinction.  After  we  sat  down  beaneath  the 
lilac  bushes  and  he  had  refilled  his  pipe  he  reached  to  an 
inside  coat  pocket  drew  out  his  miner's  license  for  the 
current  year  and  proudly  exhibited  it  as  his  "  credentials," 
giving  "  authority  "  to  his  words.  But  it  was  unneces- 
sary. In  the  histories  that  refer  to  the  mining  operations 
in  the  Cariboo  country  a  half  century  ago  and  in  the 
colourful  tales  of  the  early  navigators  of  the  rushing 
waters  of  the  gold-bearing  river,  I  had  frequently  come 
across  his  name.  He  came  before  Yale's  beginning,  built 
his  shack  on  the  bank,  saw  a  city  grow  around  it,  and  he 
has  survived  long  enough  to  see  only  the  ghost  of  that  city 
remaining.  Every  one  else  who  came  with  him  has  died ; 
those  who  came  later  have  moved  on  to  other  centers  of 
population. 

Mr.  Stout  is  ninety-four  years  of  age,  and  he  knows 
from  the  record  in  the  family  Bible  that  he  was  born  in 
Bavaria;  but  his  earliest  recollection  is  of  when  he  was 
in  the  United  States.     Even  as  a  boy  he  was  an  adven- 


168  Sunset  Canada 


turer  and  he  was  employed  as  a  cracker-maker  by  the 
Mormons  on  their  great  trek  westward.  A  drover 
passed  them  with  his  herd  and  said  he  was  bound  for 
Cahfornia,  so  Stout  joined  him  and  arrived  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  gold  rush.  Taking  his  supplies  with  him 
a  few  years  later  he  hired  a  schooner  and  went  to  Bell- 
ingham,  Washington,  where  he  built  a  flat-bottom  boat, 
worked  it  along  the  coast  into  the  mouth  of  the  Fraser 
and  finally  reached  the  locality  that  later  was  to  become 
Yale,  May  20,  1858. 

"  Look  at  this,"  he  said,  holding  a  letter  from  the 
Premier  of  British  Columbia  which  he  had  just  received 
with  the  license.  It  was  a  complimentary  reference  to 
his  sixty  consecutive  years  as  a  "  prospector  and  miner." 
"  Look  at  this  and  then  we'll  talk  about  the  old  days. 
Sure,  I  can  remember !  I  can  remember  everything  that 
you'll  want  to  know.  What  kind  of  tobacco  is  that 
you're  smoking?  I  like  the  odour  and  I  don't  mind  try- 
ing a  pipeful  of  it  myself."  So  we  sat  under  the  lilac 
bushes,  "  Dutch  Ned "  and  I,  and  we  sat  for  several 
hours,  as  he  related  to  me  the  story  of  gold  in  the  regions 
further  up  the  Fraser ;  a  story  in  which  I  was  able  from 
references  to  fill  in  exact  dates  that  had  passed  his  mem- 
ory.    I  heard  history  from  one  who  participated  in  it. 

It  seems  likely  that  gold  was  first  discovered  in  British 
Columbia  by  J.  W.  McKay,  a  Hudson's  Bay  company 
man  in  1850,  but  it  was  in  small  particles  and  nothing 
seems  to  have  come  from  the  discovery.  A  year  later 
gold  was  found  at  Gold  Harbour  in  the  Queen  Charlotte 
Islands.  There  was  some  excitement  and  it  has  been 
claimed  that  one  seam  produced  over  $25,000.  In  1852 
another  "  company  "  trader  procured  gold  from  the  In- 
dians; this  time  near  Kamloops.     Probably  there  were 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         169 

many  such  "  discoveries  "  of  which  no  record  has  reached 
the  present.  The  Hudson's  Bay  company  did  not  look 
with  favour  upon  them,  doubtless  reasoning  that  if  there 
was  gold  in  the  hills  they  would  get  it  after  they  had  made 
certain  of  the  fur.  Their  chief  business  in  Canada  was 
to  procure  fur  from  the  Indians;  and  after  their  men 
had  become  established  in  distant  posts  the  company  did 
not  look  with  favour  upon  the  lure  of  gold,  which  has 
so  often  caused  men  to  forget  their  first  duty.  Between 
1855  and  1857,  however,  a  Hudson's  Bay  man  sent  to 
Victoria  for  iron  spoons  with  which  to  dig  for  nuggets. 
Before  1858  —  usually  given  as  the  date  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  on  the  British  Columbia  mainland  in  the  Frascr 
region  —  it  was  a  known  fact  that  the  precious  dust  was 
in  the  river  sands.  But  Governor  Douglas,  who  always 
had  a  thought  for  the  "  company,"  sought  to  discourage 
men  from  leaving  their  posts  by  issuing  a  proclamation 
that  all  gold  belonged  to  the  crown  and  forbidding  all 
persons  to  "  dig  or  disturb  the  soil  in  search  of  gold  until 
authorized  in  that  behalf  by  Her  Majesty's  Colonial  Gov- 
ernment." This  authorization  was  granted  on  the  pay- 
ment of  ten  shillings  a  month,  and  even  then  the  right  to 
exercise  the  privilege  was  subject  to  so  many  conditions 
that  the  proclamation  was  withdrawn. 

In  1858  the  news  of  gold  finds  reached  California, 
where  it  stirred  men  to  action  as  it  might  not  have  done 
elsewhere.  The  memory  of  '49  was  still  with  them  and 
about  thirty  prospectors  left  immediately  for  Victoria  and 
began  to  ascend  the  Fraser  River.  Mr.  Stout,  having 
superintended  the  building  of  Bellingham  for  his  own 
use,  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Fraser  May  2,  1858,  and 
the  present  site  of  Yale  eighteen  days  later.  Near  Yale 
was  discovered  Hill's  Bar,  concerning  which  the  report 


170  Sunset  Canada 


that  reached  San  Francisco  brought  four  hundred  and 
fifty  men  for  the  new  El  Dorado. 

"  Hill's  Bar  wasn't  much  different  from  the  others," 
related  "  Dutch  Ned."  "  It  seemed  to  us  that  there  was 
gold  everywhere  that  the  river  waters  touched  the  sand, 
not  enough  of  it  to  make  men  rich  in  a  day,  but  enough 
to  cause  every  one  to  get  what  he  could  by  skimming  the 
surface  and  then  moving  on,  hoping  to  find  something 
better  further  up.  I  have  taken  out  $ioo  of  gold  in  a 
single  day  here;  but  that  was  not  very  much  when  you 
consider  the  cost  of  getting  into  the  territory  and  the  cost 
of  staying  there,  if  you  didn't  happen  to  bring  along 
everything  you  needed.  I  always  smile  about  the  high 
cost  of  hving.  Why,  I  have  seen  flour  $ioo  a  sack  in 
those  days,  and  everything  else  about  as  high.  You  see, 
if  you  took  out  $ioo  a  day  in  gold,  it  didn't  go  very  far. 
I  had  taken  all  these  precautions,  however,  because  I  had 
passed  through  similar  experiences  in  California.  I  had 
three  tons  of  beans,  bacon,  sugar,  and  other  things,  some 
of  which  I  traded  to  the  Indians  for  salmon,  which  they 
caught  in  large  quantities  from  nets  made  of  cedar  bark 
twine.  But  the  difficult  part  of  this  trading  was  that 
the  Indians  had  no  liking  for  white  man's  grub  and  didn't 
consider  it  worth  their  delicious  salmon.  Excepting 
sugar;  they  liked  that.  And  after  a  while  we  didn't  care 
whether  we  made  fair  trades  with  the  Indians  or  not, 
because  we  soon  discovered  that  they  were  treacherous 
and  we  could  place  no  reliance  in  them,  even  when  they 
appeared  to  be  friendly.  See  here!"  The  old  man 
pulled  his  coat  and  shirt-sleeves  to  his  elbow  and  his 
trousers  above  the  calves  of  his  legs,  exposing  several 
indigo  blue  scars.  "  That's  what  I  got  from  Indian 
*  friends.'     They'd  appear  friendly  enough  when  I  met 


A  GOLD   PROSPECTOR. 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         171 

them  in  the  open  in  the  daytime ;  but  they'd  skulk  around 
thickets,  or  they'd  prowl  around  at  night  and  when  there 
was  a  good  chance  they'd  shoot  a  poisoned  arrow.  All 
of  the  boys  were  not  so  fortunate  as  I  was,  as  you  see  I 
only  got  them  in  the  legs  and  arms;  but  even  this  treat- 
ment from  men  who  pretended  to  be  friends  didn't  serve 
to  cement  the  friendship.  Why,  I  had  seemingly  friendly 
visits  and  trading  bouts  with  some  of  them,  where  I  was 
obliged  to  stand  with  my  back  to  a  big  tree,  as  others  were 
taken  unawares  by  an  arrow  from  the  background  in 
just  such  times.  So,  as  I  say,  we  were  not  too  '  ethical ' 
in  our  trading  with  them.  They  lived  in  shacks  made 
of  split  cedar  logs  placed  upright  against  the  river  bank. 
Once  several  of  us  had  wandered  a  considerable  distance 
from  our  supplies  and  we  were  very  hungry.  We  ap- 
proached one  of  these  shacks  and  begged  for  something 
to  eat  from  the  plentiful  stores  of  dried  berries  and  cured 
salmon.  They  declined  to  give  us  anything,  so  we 
promptly  set  fire  to  the  shack,  burned  or  smoked  them  out 
and  took  what  we  wanted.  I  never  knew  exactly  what 
made  them  feel  about  us  as  they  did,  for  assuredly  it  was 
not  because  we  were  after  gold.  I  think  they  did  not 
want  white  men  in  the  region  because  the  river  was  so 
plentifully  stocked  with  fish,  which  provided  an  easy  liv- 
ing. I  suppose  they  thought  we  were  going  to  take  their 
fish  away  from  them.  And  then  on  the  other  hand,  they 
may  have  simply  resented  the  coming  of  the  white  man 
into  their  country,  so  they  tried  to  kill  us ;  and  as  we  didn't 
come  to  the  Fraser  for  that,  we  —  well  we  w^ere  not  par- 
ticular wdiat  happened  to  them." 

This  insinuation  that  the  Red  Man  was  "  put  where 
he  could  not  shoot  any  more  poisoned  arrows  "  on  any 
sort  of  provocation,  seemed  a  part  of  the  wail  of  "  white 


172  Sunset  Canada 


men's  cruelty  to  the  Indians,"  concerning  which  the  senti- 
mentahsts  in  later  years  have  had  so  much  to  say.  But 
somehow,  as  Edward  Stout  related  this  hand-to-hand 
combat  with  savages  who  attempted  to  kill  before  they 
were  killed,  the  "  useless  murders  "  seemed  quite  a  dif- 
ferent thing.  And  I  recalled  that  it  had  been  the  same 
everywhere  else:  Bret  Harte  sitting  in  his  old  news- 
paper office,  pistols  in  hand,  to  defend  himself  against 
the  mob  that  had  come  for  vengeance  because  he  had 
written  an  article  pleading  for  fair  play  for  Indians,  or 
the  newspapers  of  the  United  States  printing  as  they  did 
in  a  boasting  manner  the  number  of  Indians  killed  and 
the  number  held  prisoner  in  the  camps,  following  the  gold 
stampede.  I  thought  of  that  California  miner  who 
shouted  to  an  Indian  boy  to  hold  his  horse,  and  because 
the  youngster  did  not  understand  English  and  started 
away  frightened,  the  miner  shot  off  the  boy's  head.  It 
seems  always  to  have  been  the  same  story  in  the  first 
march  of  "  civilization  "  into  savage  regions. 

The  ranks  of  the  gold  hunters  increased  from  hundreds 
to  thousands,  some  coming  overland  with  great  difficulty, 
others  from  the  East  by  way  of  Panama,  but  the  majority 
from  California.  The  first  men  on  the  ground  steadily 
fought  their  way  upstream,  always  hoping  for  some- 
thing better.  In  June,  1858,  Stout  and  the  rest  of  his 
party,  after  leaving  two  men  at  Yale  to  watch  the  boats, 
proceeded  to  Spuzzum.  "  You  will  recall,"  he  related, 
"  that  Simon  Eraser  and  his  men  were  there  exactly  fifty 
years  before,  the  spring  of  1808.  Eraser  said:  'This 
is  impassable  '  and  we  said  the  same  thing,  when  we  saw 
the  rushing  and  foaming  waters.  But  there  was  a  way. 
Every  bar  of  the  river  held  gold  and  that  was  enough  to 
spur  us  on.     The  Indians  had  made  a  trail  before  us ;  but 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         173 


a  trail  that  was  rather  difficult  at  first  for  human  beings 
who  were  unused  to  playing  that  they  were  flies.     But  we 
all  enjoyed  it  and  never  suffered  the  hardships  that  I  had 
suffered  on  the  plains  going  to  California.     Our  plan  was 
usually  to  stay  close  to  the  river,   for  several  reasons. 
First,  we  thought  that  was  where  the  gold  was  to  be 
found;  and  second,  we  knew  that  other  men,  Indians  most 
of  them,  had  passed  over  the  trail  ahead  of  us.     There 
were  steep  precipices  that  led  to  shelves  of  rock  jutting 
out  over  the  river.     These  were  reached  by  means  of  lad- 
ders which  the  Indians  had  made  of  logs  and  roots. 
When  we  reached  the  ledges,  they  were  often  so  narrow 
that  we  could  not  walk  straight  ahead  on  account  of  the 
packs  we  carried,  so  we  put  our  faces  to  the  wall,  held  on 
the  best  we  could  and  let  the  packs  hang  out  over  the 
river.     Of  course  a  mis-step  would  have  meant  certain 
death ;  but  we  took  good  care  not  to  make  mis-steps,  and 
the  difficulties  of  the  trail  were  not  what  bothered  our 
progress;  it  was  the  Indians.     Of  the  first  twenty  of  us 
who  forged  ahead  only  five  escaped  the  Indians  with  our 
lives.     We  retreated  down  the  river  as  far  as  China  bar 
and  continued  our  work.     We  didn't  want  the  savages 
to  hack  our  friends'  bodies  to  pieces  as  we  knew  they 
would  do  if  they  could,  so  we  threw  the  bodies  in  the 
river  and  they  swept  along  until  they  were  discovered 
by  the  California  prospectors  who  were  following  us  as 
fast  as  they  could.     They  suspected  what  was  happening 
and  mustering  all  their  forces  they  came  ahead  to  give 
us  aid.     The  Indians  had  a  good  supply  of  tomahawks 
and  a  few  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  muskets  which 
supplements  their  poisoned  arrows,  and  they  gave  us  a 
good  fight  but  we  finally  won  the  day  and  pressed  on." 
Shedding  light  on  these  days,  although  the  incident 


174  Sunset  Canada 


was  not  recalled  by  Stout,  is  the  story  of  how  a  certain 
Captain  Taylor  arrived  on  the  river  one  day,  bringing  a 
cargo  of  whisky,  instead  of  rockers  and  provisions.  He 
gave  the  Indians  a  small  bottle  of  "  fire  water  "  for  five 
dollars'  worth  of  gold  dust.  The  miners  observed  that 
danger  would  soon  arise  if  this  procedure  continued,  for 
drunken  savages  were  difficult  to  keep  in  subjection,  so 
they  went  to  the  boat  and  offered  to  buy  Captain  Taylor's 
entire  stock  at  his  own  price.  He  declined  to  sell,  so  they 
held  a  meeting  and  taking  the  law  in  their  own  hands, 
walked  down  to  the  river  front  with  their  guns  at  full 
cock,  and  while  a  few  of  the  number  kept  guard  over 
the  Captain,  the  others  broke  in  the  heads  of  the  casks  and 
emptied  the  whiskey  in  the  river,  giving  the  captain 
one  hour  to  get  out  of  sight,  which  he  did  without  de- 
lay. 

The  total  yield  of  gold  from  the  Fraser  country  in 
1858  is  usually  put  down  at  $705,000,  although  the  exact 
figure  is  unknown.  By  1859  the  miners  had  reached  the 
Chilcotlin,  and  Peter  Dunlevy  was  told  by  Indians  of 
gold  in  what  was  called  the  Cariboo  country,  because 
when  the  men  were  hastening  into  it  they  saw  huge  herds 
of  cariboo.  The  prospectors  worked  down  the  Quesnel 
River,  finding  many  rich  bars,  and  by  i860  there  were 
six  hundred  of  them  in  the  district.  In  the  summer  of 
i860  Lightning  Creek  was  discovered,  and  from  that 
Creek  went  Wilhelm  Dietz,  known  as  Dutch  Bill,  who 
crossed  the  Divide  and  found  what  he  called  Wilhelm's 
Creek,  an  important  event  in  British  Columbia  gold 
mining. 

"  Dutch  Bill  came  back  to  camp  and  told  us  what  he 
had  found  and  showed  us  proof  of  what  he  said  when 
he  exhibited  as  fine  gold  as  you  ever  saw.     Immediately, 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         175 

there  was  another  stampede.  Every  one  forgot  all  about 
everything  else  and  started  for  Wilhelm's  Creek.  But 
we  found  nothing  —  at  first,  and  a  madder  lot  of  men 
you  never  saw.  They  said  that  Bill  had  fooled  them  and 
lured  them  away  to  his  creek  for  some  reason.  Yes,  I 
believe  you're  right;  there  was  some  talk  of  hanging 
poor  Bill.  In  those  days  men  had  to  be  mighty  particular 
about  what  they  did;  but  it  got  no  further  than  calling 
the  place  Humbug  Creek,  the  name  that  it  bore  until  the 
first  name  was  Anglicized  to  William's  Creek.  Well, 
those  who  remained  found  that  *  Dutch  Bill '  wasn't  a 
liar  or  a  humbug  after  all.  Sometimes  as  high  as  $5,000 
to  $20,000  was  taken  from  a  single  claim  in  one  day. 
No,  I  didn't  strike  one  of  them.  Either  the  chap  in 
front  of  me  or  the  chap  behind  me  always  struck  it  richer 
than  I  did.  But  I  am  not  complaining.  Think  of  poor 
Bill  Dietz!  He  never  made  much  from  his  great  dis- 
covery, and  I  believe  he  died  in  Victoria  not  a  rich  man. 
But  the  report  of  the  discovery  went  around  the  world. 
The  Victoria  Daily  Press  said  :  *  Never  in  the  history  of 
gold  mining  have  there  been  such  fabulous  sums  amassed 
in  so  incredibly  short  a  space  of  time.'  It  is  believed 
that  fully  $2,000,000  of  gold  was  sent  to  Victoria  before 
the  season  ended. 

"  In  1862  the  trail  to  the  Cariboo  country  was  a  diffi- 
cult one  and  it  was  crowded  with  excited  men  on  their 
way  to  the  land  of  promise.  Bacon  was  two  dollars  a 
pound,  flour  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  sack,  and 
while  the  wages  of  miners  were  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
dollars  a  day,  it  was  barely  enough  to  provide  more  than 
necessities.  But  the  Williams  Creek  district  continued 
to  astound  the  world  and  men  risked  everything  to  reach 
it.     It  was  a  single  discovery  that  was  never  equaled  and 


176  Sunset  Canada 


naturally  intoxicated  the  fortunate  miners,  so  that  when 
they  returned  to  Victoria  in  the  autumn  they  reported 
that  there  were  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  gold  yet  un- 
claimed, which  spurred  larger  numbers  to  greater  activ- 
ity in  the  spring.  Two  towns,  Barkerville  and  Richfield, 
one  mile  apart,  sprang  up  suddenly.  There  was  an  orgy 
of  gold.  From  first  to  last  it  is  claimed  that  Williams 
Creek  yielded  $45,000,000,  probably  the  richest  find  in 
the  history  of  gold. 

"  Pack  trains  of  new-comers  arrived  every  hour  and 
by  1862  there  was  a  population  of  five  thousand  men 
in  the  Cariboo  District.  Not  one  married  woman  came 
until  1867,  and  even  missionaries  who  attempted  work  in 
the  field  gave  it  up  for  a  time  as  impossible.  Men  were 
gold-mad  and  could  think  of  nothing  else.  It  has  been 
said  that  one-third  of  those  who  went  to  Cariboo  in  1861 
made  great  fortunes,  another  third  made  small  fortunes 
and  another  were  wholly  unsuccessful  and  became  ob- 
jects of  charity,  who  were  assisted  by  their  fellow  miners 
in  reaching  Victoria. 

"  Most  every  one  stopped  at  Yale  on  the  way  up  or 
down  the  river,"  said  Stout.  "  I  tell  you  in  those  days 
this  was  a  lively  town.  Money  slid  through  the  fingers 
of  the  miners  as  it  does  not  to-day,  even  among  those 
millionaires  that  we  read  about  in  New  York  City. 
When  I  first  came  back  here  to  settle  down  for  good, 
Denny  Murphy,  who  had  been  with  me  up  in  Cariboo, 
and  I  were  chums.  We  had  stuck  it  out  together  through 
some  pretty  rough  places  and  when  we  got  back  we  used 
to  go  out  in  the  evening  and  look  things  over.  '  Panama 
Lil  '  was  the  name  given  by  the  boys  to  a  woman  who 
ran  one  of  the  gambling-saloons.  She  had  her  place  all 
fixed  up  fancy  with  glass  prisms  hanging  on  the  lamps 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         177 

and  everything.  It  looked  pretty  gay  and  nice  when  a 
man  had  been  off  up  the  river  all  summer;  and  I  guess 
the  boys  looked  pretty  good  to  her  when  they  came  back 
with  good-sized  sacks  of  gold,  because  more  of  them 
spent  the  evening  at  her  place  than  at  any  of  the  others. 
Some  way,  the  others  didn't  feel  so  comfortable. —  Isn't 
it  funny  now  to  think  of  what  seemed  cozy  and  com- 
fortable in  those  days?  —  Well,  Denny  and  I  were  to 
blame  for  the  downfall  of  Panama  Lil.  It  isn't  any- 
thing to  boast  about;  but  we  were  all  used  to  square- 
dealing  in  those  days,  and  it  went  pretty  hard  on  any  one 
who  wouldn't  play  that  way.  One  night  after  Denny 
and  I  had  been  in  Lil's  place  we  came  out  and  looked 
funny  at  one  another.  Every  one  knew  that  Lil  made 
lots  of  money;  but  that  night  she  had  made  more  than 
usual.  And  both  of  us  had  our  suspicions.  At  the  same 
time  we  had  observed  that  she  was  playing  crooked  with 
loaded  dice.  But  we  wouldn't  let  the  matter  rest  on 
suspicions,  so  the  next  night  we  went  back.  The  game 
was  being  played  as  usual  for  fifty-dollar  gold  slugs. 
Denny  and  I  both  stepped  in  and  watched  what  Lil  was 
doing  —  she  was  up  to  her  old  game  —  so  we  stayed  in 
and  won  $250  apiece.  Then  when  she  saw  what  w^e 
were  doing,  she  said  we  couldn't  play  any  more.  That 
was  enough  to  satisfy  us,  however,  so  we  took  our  five 
hundred  dollars  like  two  young  fools  and  went  out  and 
spent  it.  How?  Well,  we  went  and  bought  supper  for 
one  thing  and  what  a  supper  it  was!  We  had  every- 
thing that  we  wanted,  and  as  the  best  there  was  in  the 
market  was  being  brought  up  to  Yale  at  that  time,  because 
it  was  bought  by  miners  with  big  bags  of  gold,  we  had  a 
grand  feast.  Eggs  were  a  dollar  apiece  and  they  tasted 
mighty  good  because  we  hadn't  eaten  any  for  a  long  time. 


178  Sunset  Canada 


I  always  liked  pie  and  I  had  all  the  pie  I  wanted  that 
night,  although  they  were  little  ones  smaller  than  your 
hand  and  they  cost  $2.50  apiece.  There  was  fruit  that 
had  been  shipped  up  the  coast  from  Chili  and  Peru  and 
they  made  you  pay  enough  for  it  to  reward  the  skippers 
who  brought  it.  But  Denny  and  I  ate  more  than  we 
had  eaten  for  six  months  I  guess,  all  told.  It's  funny 
what  a  man  will  do  when  he  has  been  without  good  food 
for  a  long  time  and  suddenly  finds  it  in  front  of  him. 
Well,  and  that  wasn't  all ;  for  we  told  about  it.  We  told 
the  other  boys  and  not  one  of  them  would  go  in  Panama 
Lil's  place  again,  so  as  she  didn't  think  it  looked  '  healthy  ' 
for  her,  she  closed  up  and  got  out  of  town  as  fast  as  she 
could.  It  wasn't  very  safe  for  any  one  caught  cheating 
in  those  days,  you  know.  Her  place  was  right  down 
there  on  Front  Street, 

The  speaker  directed  his  finger  toward  the  river  bank 
on  which  cattle  were  grazing.  "  It  was  right  near  Bar- 
nard's stables,  you  know,  the  Barnard  who  ran  stages  on 
the  Cariboo  Road.  The  boats  used  to  tie  up  over  there 
—  and  the  stages  used  to  come  in  here.  I  tell  you  those 
were  lively  days.  People  used  to  wait  for  the  stages  to 
arrive  and  after  welcoming  the  newcomers  with  a  cheer, 
gather  around  and  listen  to  the  stories  about  the  newest 
gold  finds.  Men  went  up  from  here  in  the  spring  with 
barely  a  shirt  on  their  backs,  and  then  came  back  in  the 
fall  rich.  It  was  all  pretty  exciting,  because  you  never 
knew  which  ones  would  find  the  gold.  As  I  said  before, 
however,  the  men  in  front  of  me  and  the  men  behind  me 
would  get  bags  of  it ;  but  I  never  got  a  great  deal,  never 
came  back  rich  after  the  summer's  work.  But  I  don't 
complain.  I've  got  enough  to  provide  all  the  tobacco  I 
want  to  smoke;  and  look  what  happened  to  Dutch  Bill, 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         179 

he  found  the  gold  and  the  others  brought  it  back  down 
the  river." 

"  Dutch  Ned  ''  and  I  walked  along  Front  Street,  which 
to-day  is  little  different  from  any  of  the  grassy  hillsides 
on  the  banks  of  the  Fraser  River.  Once  or  twice,  how- 
ever, we  scuffed  the  grass  aside  and  saw  a  pile  of  stones 
which  had  been  a  part  of  the  foundation  of  this  or  that 
structure  in  the  'Sixties,  but  which  has  entirely  dis- 
appeared, all  but  the  stones.  Where  there  was  once  a 
gambling  saloon  with  prism  lamps  and  where  gold  nug- 
gets changed  hands,  a  bent  and  gray-haired  Indian  was 
hobbling  about  feeding  a  pig  that  seemed  to  share  his 
shack  with  him.  A  little  further  along  we  were  still 
walking  in  the  grass,  but  the  ground  seemed  hard  and  I 
observed  the  ruts  of  wheels  in  crushed  stone.  *'  This 
was  the  beginning  of  the  Cariboo  Road  "  said  Stout, 
"  but,  like  Yale,  they  haven't  any  use  for  it  any  more." 
And  Edward  Stout,  aged  ninety-four,  walked  briskly 
back  to  his  cottage  gate,  puffing  his  pipe  and  apparently 
rather  pleased  that  he  had  met  some  one  who  liked  to 
"  talk  history,"  as  he  expressed  it. 

"Have  you  lived  in  this  cottage  since  you  came  to 
Yale?"  I  asked. 

"  Land  sakes,  no !  I've  only  been  here  about  forty 
years.  Used  to  live  down  the  road  a  bit  nearer  the 
river." 

"  Dutch  Ned  "  has  watched  the  river  flow  past  his  door 
for  nearly  sixty  years.  He  saw  Yale  born,  grow  to  be 
a  lusty  adult  and  die.  He  saw  the  steamboats  and  the 
stages  arrive  and  depart  forever.  He  watched  the  rail- 
road come  and  remain;  and  the  men  and  various  car- 
riers of  British  Columbia  have  passed  him  with  over 
$70,000,000  worth  of  placer  gold.     As  he  approaches 


180  Sunset  Canada 


the  century  mark  he  has  not  many  of  the  dollars  in  his 
own  possession,  but,  as  he  says,  he  has  enough  for  smok- 
ing tobacco  and  he  has  many  pleasant  memories. 

Yale  will  ever  be  recalled  as  the  western  terminus  of 
the  trail  that  led  from  the  head  of  navigation  to  the 
gold  fields.  Amazing  remnants  of  the  roadway's  basket- 
like construction  around  rocky  cliffs  and  over  the  Fra- 
ser's  torrent  still  remain  and  are  seen  at  several  points 
along  the  river  from  a  railway  observation  platform  or  a 
car  window.  Sometimes  the  route  is  close  to  the  water's 
edge  so  that  during  the  early  summer  floods  the  water 
comes  close  to  the  foundations  that  from  a  distance  ap- 
pear to  be  the  size  of  match-sticks,  although  close  exami- 
nation shows  them  to  be  logs  of  rather  formidable  dimen- 
sions. From  the  deep  valley  the  trail  makes  quick  turns 
over  rocky  chasms  and  starts  up  the  mountain-side.  On 
precipitous  cliffs  a  shelf  was  cut  from  the  solid  rock,  or 
the  shelf  rested  upon  upturned  logs.  The  trail  circles 
mountains,  so  that  it  runs  high  above  the  tallest  tree-tops 
and  then  plunges  abruptly  into  canyons  and  falls  away 
again  to  only  a  few  feet  above  water  level.  As  one  views 
it  to-day,  compared  to  modern  engineering  works  of 
similar  nature,  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  it  might  have 
been  a  boon  to  pedestrians  who  were  covering  the  difficult 
path  towards  El  Dorado.  Even  a  pack-horse  might  have 
made  its  way,  hugging  the  rocky  walls,  but  to  recall  that 
six-  or  eight-team  wagons  and  caravans  made  up  of 
treasure-cars  once  passed  this  way  —  sometimes  at  a 
gallop  if  contemporary  records  may  be  believed  —  gives 
the  old  Cariboo  Road  added  interest,  and  one  strains  his 
eyes  as  the  train  speeds  along  endeavouring  to  trace  every 
yard  of  the  spectacular  pathway.  In  many  places  it  has 
merged  itself  with  the  railway  roadbed;  elsewhere  it  has 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         181 

become  grass-grown  and  covered  from  sight  by  tangled 
shrubs  and  vines,  but  there  are  points  at  which  it  is  still 
in  prime  condition  and  seems  strong  enough  to  support 
heavy  loads  to-day,  for  while  the  logs  have  rotted,  huge 
boulders  have  moved  to  the  outside  of  the  shelf  so  over- 
hanging ledges  that  have  broken  away  since  the  wreck 
that  was  caused  by  the  building  of  the  railroad,  have 
fallen  into  the  path  and  during  the  years  they  have  lain 
there  have  pressed  their  faces  deep  into  the  soil  and  made 
a  lasting  foundation.  One  who  leaves  the  train  at  Yale 
and  traces  the  old  pathway  discernible  from  deep  ruts  in 
the  cobblestone  pavement  now  overgrown  with  tall  grass 
has  little  difficulty  in  marking  the  exact  route  covered  by 
the  stages  that  were  eagerly  looked  for  by  the  Yale 
crowds,  who  knew  that  each  fresh  arrival  would  bring 
new  stories  of  quick  fortune,  and  exhibit  the  bags  of  gold 
as  proof  of  his  words. 

Long  before  white  men  found  this  golden  trail  the 
Indians  were  following  it  as  the  only  pathway  through  a 
district  that  replenished  their  larder  with  salmon,  which 
seems  to  have  been  their  principal  article  of  food  in 
summer  and  in  winter.  The  way  was  first  pointed  to 
white  men  by  Simon  Fraser,  who  gave  his  name  to  the 
river  and  who  records  in  his  journal  of  1808:  "  As  for 
the  road  by  land,  we  could  scarcely  make  our  way  even 
with  only  our  guns.  I  have  been  for  a  long  period  among 
the  Rocky  Mountains  but  have  never  seen  anything  like 
this  country.  It  is  so  wild  that  I  cannot  find  words  to 
describe  the  situation  at  times.  We  have  to  pass  where 
no  human  being  should  venture;  in  these  places  there  is 
a  regular  footpath  impressed  or  rather  indented,  upon 
the  very  rocks  by  frequent  travel.  We  had  to  pass  many 
difficult  rocks,  defiles,  precipices  through  which  there  was 


182  Sunset  Canada 


a  kind  of  beaten  path  practiced  by  natives  and  made 
passable  by  means  of  scaffolds,  bridges,  ladders  so  pe- 
culiarly constructed  that  it  required  no  small  degree  of 
necessity,  dexterity  and  courage  in  strangers  to  under- 
take. 

"  For  instance,  we  had  to  ascend  precipices  by  means  of 
ladders  composed  of  two  long  poles  placed  upright  with 
sticks  tied  crossways  with  twigs ;  upon  the  ends  of  these 
others  were  placed  and  so  on  to  any  height ;  add  to  this 
that  the  ladders  were  often  so  slack  that  the  smallest 
breeze  put  them  in  motion,  swinging  them  against  the 
rocks,  while  the  steps  leading  from  scaffold  to  scaffold 
were  often  so  narrow  and  irregular  that  they  could 
scarcely  be  traced  by  the  feet  without  the  greatest  care 
and  circumspection ;  but  the  most  perilous  part  was  wdiere 
another  rock  projected  over  the  one  we  were  clearing. 
The  Indians  certainly  deserve  our  grateful  remembrance 
for  their  able  assistance  through  this  alarming  situation. 
The  descents  were,  if  possible,  still  more  difficult ;  in  these 
places  we  were  under  the  necessity  of  trusting  our  things 
to  the  Indians;  even  our  guns  were  handed  from  one  to 
the  other.  Yet  they  thought  nothing  of  it;  they  went  up 
and  down  these  wild  places  with  the  same  agility  as  sail- 
ors do  on  board  a  ship." 

As  this  first  chronicler  observes,  the  trail  was  that  of 
the  Indians  and  it  is  likely  that  it  would  have  remained 
little  more  than  a  well-made  trail  for  many  years  if  the 
men  who  followed  the  river's  course  from  the  ocean  had 
not  found  golden  sands,  which  was  proof  enough  to  spur 
them  to  great  dangers  and  hardships,  that  there  were  vast 
quantities  of  the  treasure  upstream.  Their  hopes  were 
more  than  realized,  and  it  was  the  duty  and  privilege  of 
the  young  province  at  the  head  of  which  was  Sir  James 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         183 

Douglas,  known  as  the  "  King  of  Roads,"  to  make  the 
road  as  easy  for  them  as  possible.  This  seems  to  have 
been  a  distinguishing  mark  of  all  great  peoples;  they  built 
roads.  It  was  a  part  of  the  great  imperial  policy  of 
Rome;  by  its  roads  its  conquests  in  Europe,  Asia  and 
Africa  may  be  traced  to-day.  It  was  the  policy  of  an- 
cient Egypt  and  China,  just  as  it  has  been  of  mighty 
nations  in  modern  times.  Confucius  advised  judging  a 
nation  by  its  music ;  but  its  roads  are  likewise  suggestive 
of  its  condition  and  of  its  future.  Douglas  was  looking 
far  ahead  to  the  present  day  and  to  the  great  future ;  and 
although  severely  criticized  for  expenditures  in  the  matter 
of  road-building,  it  is  known  that  he  contemplated  more 
ambitious  enterprises  than  his  span  of  life  permitted  him 
to  realize.  He  was  the  moving  force  back  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  great  Cariboo  Road,  but  he  received 
valuable  assistance  from  the  Royal  Engineers  who  were 
summoned  to  the  new  colony,  and  from  several  other  men, 
some  of  whom  are  still  living.  One  of  them,  Walter 
Moberly  of  Victoria,  played  an  important  role  and  he 
relates  many  amusing  stories  of  the  construction  days, 
when  many  of  the  labourers  in  the  "  gang  "  were  Chi- 
nese. Once  when  he  was  on  his  way  from  Cook's 
Ferry  to  Lytton,  he  stopped  to  inspect  a  large  camp  of 
celestials,  where  an  insistent  plea  soon  went  up  for  him 
to  provide  them  a  pig  for  the  proper  celebration  of  a 
festival  which  was  soon  to  arrive  on  the  calendar. 
Realizing  that  their  request  was  almost  impossible  to 
grant,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  all  domestic  animals  so 
far  inland,  he  attempted  to  convince  them  by  argument 
that  their  request  or  demand  was  absurd.  They  were 
in  the  wilderness  and  should  be  reasonable  enough  to  de- 
mand wilderness  fare  —  even  when  they  were  celebrating. 


184  Sunset  Canada 


But  he  was  particularly  anxious  not  to  incur  their  dis- 
pleasure, which  might  result  in  a  delay  to  the  great  work 
upon  which  they  were  engaged,  so  he  finally  told  them 
that  he  would  see  what  he  could  do.  He  knew  of  a 
settler  who  had  two  pigs  and  he  made  it  known  that  he 
wanted  the  animals;  but  pork  suddenly  became  more 
valuable  than  ever  before  and  the  owner  demanded  two 
hundred  dollars  apiece  for  his  darlings,  which  he  had 
brought  from  the  coast  with  much  difficulty.  Moberly 
went  back  to  the  Chinese  and  reported ;  but  the  excessive 
price  made  no  difference  to  them.  They  were  about  to 
celebrate  a  festival,  and  how  could  they  do  it  properly 
without  roast  pig?  Unable  to  answer  the  question,  and 
realizing  that  many  times  four  hundred  dollars  might  be 
at  stake,  the  pigs  were  purchased,  roasted,  and  the  Chi- 
nese were  satisfied. 

When  the  road  was  completed  it  was  necessary  for 
some  one  to  organize  transportation  and  the  man  arose 
in  F.  J.  Barnard,  who  had  arrived  at  Yale  as  an  emi- 
grant with  only  five  dollars  in  his  purse.  In  1862  he  had 
a  "  pony  express  "  between  Yale  and  the  Cariboo  country, 
a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  eighty  miles.  He 
charged  two  dollars  each  for  delivering  letters  and  one 
dollar  apiece  for  newspapers.  In  time,  "  Barnard's  Ex- 
press "  came  to  be  an  institution  in  the  colony  and  he 
became  a  wealthy  man  in  consequence.  In  the  news- 
papers of  New  Westminster  or  Victoria  of  the  period  one 
finds  such  items  as  "  Barnard's  stage  arrived  at  Yale  on 
Sabbath  bringing  a  Cariboo  express  with  $130,000  in 
treasure."  As  his  business  increased,  he  improved  the 
service  and  finally  heavy  stage-coaches  drawn  by  four  or 
six  horses  dashed  along  the  roadway  that  seems  in  many 
places  to  hang  in  the  air  like  the  rails  of  a  "  switch- 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         185 

back "  at  an  amusement  park.  It  was  an  expensive 
luxury,  however,  as  the  single  fare  from  Yale  to  Rich- 
field was  $130  exclusive  of  meals  and  accommodations 
at  the  roadhouses  along  the  route.  Meals  consisting  of 
bacon,  beans,  slapjacks  and  tea  cost  $2.50  each.  But  it 
was  necessary  to  make  what  now  seem  to  have  been  ex- 
cessive charges.  Hay  was  $35  a  ton  at  Yale,  and  $250 
a  ton  at  Barkerville;  and  horses  required  it  if  they  were 
to  be  kept  in  fit  condition  for  the  perilous  journey  along 
the  great  highway.  It  was  possible  to  purchase  horses 
in  Oregon  for  about  $200  each  at  this  time ;  but  the  pur- 
chase price  had  doubled  by  the  time  the  animals  reached 
Yale.  By  1872,  however,  Barnard  had  over  two  hundred 
horses  in  the  service.  Passenger  coaches  were  brought 
from  California  and  safes  were  placed  in  specially  con- 
structed wagons  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  gold  with 
what  was  at  that  time  considered  the  greatest  precaution, 
and  a  regular  service  of  two  passenger  stages  each  way 
weekly  was  installed.  They  were  started  when  the 
steamer  from  Victoria  reached  Yale  and  run  on  depend- 
able schedule  time. 

It  seems  marvelous  that  there  were  so  few  accidents, 
but  the  newspapers  of  the  province  chronicle  several  hair- 
breadth escapes  that  must  have  been  fully  as  trying  to 
the  nerves  of  the  occupants  of  the  coaches  as  a  modern 
railway  wreck  would  be  if  passengers  finally  reached 
safe  ground  after  having  experienced  a  head-on  collision 
on  a  suspension  bridge  over  the  Niagara  rapids.  Much 
depended  upon  the  drivers,  of  course,  and  as  the  best  men 
were  hunting  for  gold,  once  they  reached  the  district 
where  it  was  known  to  be  within  easy  reach,  it  was  not 
always  possible  to  procure  the  services  of  men  who  were 
fitted  by  temperament  or  habits  for  the  difficult  feat  of 


186  Sunset  Canada 


driving  horses  over  the  highway.  The  editors  of  the 
day  seem  to  have  been  expecting  "  big  news  "  from  the 
Cariboo  Road  every  day  or  every  hour  and,  while  it 
proved  to  be  a  great  newsgiver,  there  were  few  serious 
accidents  and  no  plunges  of  passengers,  driver,  horses, 
stages  and  treasure  into  the  Fraser  torrent,  which  must 
have  been  momentarily  expected. 

In  the  British  Columbian  in  August,  1865,  however, 
appeared  the  following  account  of  an  incident  on  the 
Road  that  would  be  worthy  of  the  pen  of  a  novelist : 

"  Just  after  leaving  the  Ninety-Mile  House  the  driver, 
who  was  intoxicated,  commenced  w^hipping  his  horses 
furiously  and  kept  them  at  full  gallop  for  about  two 
miles,  when  one  of  the  wheels  struck  a  stone,  causing  the 
tongue  to  break  in  two ;  the  jagged  end  coming  in  contact 
with  the  horses'  flanks  rendered  them  completely  ungov- 
ernable and  they  dashed  on  at  full  speed,  the  wagon 
sw'aying  from  side  to  side  and  bounding  over  the  stony 
Road  in  a  most  alarming  manner.  At  length  they 
neared  a  part  of  the  Road  running  along  a  high  bank  and 
the  passengers  fearing  that  they  might  be  hurled  down 
the  precipice  with  one  exception  (an  invalid)  sprang  out 
of  the  wagon,  several  being  injured  by  the  fall.  A  well- 
known  Cyprienne  who  was  the  first  to  leap  out  had  her 
leg  severely  sprained.  Had  not  the  driver  been  too 
drunk,  the  wagon  might  have  been  stopped  by  the  use  of 
the  brakes ;  as  it  was,  it  fortunately  passed  the  dangerous 
spot  in  safety  and  brought  up  at  the  next  ascent.  The 
same  party  had  a  narrow  escape  coming  over  the  very 
dangerous  portion  of  the  Road  known  as  Chinaman's 
Bluff,  about  twenty  miles  above  Yale.  The  Road  at  that 
point  is  a  narrow  track  blasted  out  from  the  clifif,  the 
turbulent  stream  of  the  Fraser  rolling  several  hundred 


The  City  of  Golden  Memories         187 

feet  below.  The  stage  was  passing  this  point  one  night, 
it  being  very  darlc,  when  suddenly  one  of  the  four  horses 
began  to  rear  and  plunge  so  frightfully  that  the  passen- 
gers momentarily  expected  to  be  hurled  into  the  abyss 
below.  The  driver,  however,  who  on  this  occasion  was 
a  careful  and  steady  man,  managed  to  unhitch  the  frac- 
tious animal  and  the  remainder  of  the  way  to  Yale  was 
safely  accomplished  with  three  horses." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ORCHARDS    AND    LAKES 

Only  a  few  years  ago  as  time  goes,  Thomas  Ellis, 
like  so  many  others  known  as  the  "  Cattle  King,"  owned 
a  big  ranch  at  the  extreme  southern  end  of  Lake  Okana- 
gan.  They  reckoned  property  by  miles  rather  than  by 
acres  in  those  days,  and  Ellis'  property  ran  away  off  be- 
yond the  lake  almost  to  the  International  Boundary. 
It  was  like  many  other  vast  "  estates  "  in  early  British 
Columbia;  it  covered  so  much  territory  that  the  owner 
barely  knew  by  personal  observation  exactly  where  it 
stopped  or  where  it  began,  excepting  as  in  this  instance 
it  bordered  on  a  lake.  A  boat  of  some  description  came 
down  the  lake  at  irregular  inter^'als,  brought  supplies  and 
provisions  for  the  big  ranch  and  took  away  a  cargo  of 
cattle  that  had  fattened  on  the  picturesque  range  that 
stretched  through  and  included  mountains,  valleys  and 
rivers.  "  Tom  "  Ellis,  as  he  is  affectionately  called  to- 
day by  the  natives  of  the  city  that  has  grown  up  near 
his  old  ranch  house,  had  the  opportunity  to  observe  the 
Indians  at  close  range,  because  they  were  his  neighbours, 
dwelling  along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  where  a  paternal 
government  has  permitted  them  to  remain.  Red  Men 
have  frequently  felled  trees  to  suit  their  purpose;  but 
these  Indians  seem  to  have  been  planters  of  trees,  thus 
being  almost  unique  among  savage  tribes.  They  w^ere 
fruit  trees  and  the  fruit  was  of  such  an  exceptional  na- 
ture that  Ellis  followed  their  example.  He  also  planted 
fruit  trees,  which  is  believed  to  be  directly  responsible  for 
188 


Orchards  and  Lakes 189 

what  seems  likely  to  become  one  of  the  principal  industries 
of  the  rich  province  of  British  Columbia,  for  there  are 
men  who  believe  that  after  the  fish  have  been  taken  from 
the  sea,  after  the  timber  has  been  leveled  to  the  ground, 
and  after  the  hills  have  given  their  full  mineral  treasure 
to  man,  the  province  will  turn  to  agriculture  and  that  the 
most  remunerative  branch  of  it  will  be  fruit  culture. 
"  Tom  "  Ellis  planted  fruit  trees  and  they  bore  fruit  that 
excited  nation-wide  comment.  The  "  old-timer  "  likes  to 
relate  that  one  of  those  cherry  trees  bore  one  thousand 
pounds  of  fruit  every  year  until  it  died.  And  such  fruit! 
World's  fairs  have  distinguished  Okanagan  fruit  with 
medals  and  prizes  for  its  size,  colour  and  flavour.  And 
yet  it  is  a  British  Columbia  industry  almost  as  new  as 
automobile  and  phonograph  manufacture  are  elsewhere. 
It  was  inevitable,  a  land  company  was  formed  and 
took  over  the  Ellis  ranch.  The  possibilities  of  fruit  cul- 
ture was  the  inspiration.  An  irrigation  system  costing 
nearly  $200,000  was  installed,  and  at  the  end  of  the  lake 
the  foundations  were  laid  for  the  present  city  of  Pentic- 
ton,  where  Indian  tribes  were  wont  to  meet  to  plan  for 
war  or  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace,  literally  "  the  place 
where  all  ways  meet,"  Pen-tic-ton,  and  the  Indian  nomen- 
clature was  retained.  The  usual  western  "  boom  "  fol- 
lowed and  has  continued.  Prospective  settlers  came  to 
the  new  city  and  to  dozens  of  lesser  communities  that 
began  to  spring  up  along  the  lake  shore.  What  had  been 
"  wilderness  "  or  "  desert  "  to  the  layman  and  merely  a 
big  cattle  ranch  to  those  who  were  better  acquainted  with 
the  circumstances,  suddenly  became  a  Mecca  for  colonists 
and  home-seekers,  the  majority  of  whom  had  consider- 
able money  in  their  purses  and  who  were  captivated  by 
the  location  and  the  prospects  of  a  future  home  set  among 


190 Sunset  Canada 

orchards  and  gardens.  The  boat  that  had  been  ample 
for  demands  of  travel  on  the  lake  at  irregular  intervals 
began  a  daily  schedule.  More  boats  and  larger  ones 
were  built  and  the  sailings  were  made  to  connect  with 
trains  that  met  the  trans-continental  trains  on  the  main 
line  east  and  west.  The  territory  was  not  developing 
into  one  great  city  of  skyscrapers  and  banks,  but  into 
many  small  cities  and  towns  of  homes  as  pleasantly  lo- 
cated as  could  be  imagined  anywhere.  The  railroad  built 
a  big  hotel  at  Penticton  for  the  accommodation  of  tourists 
and  smaller  hotels  sprung  up  along  the  beautiful  lake 
shore  of  "  shelved  "  or  terraced  orchards.  "  Tom  " 
Ellis'  cherry  trees  may  be  thanked  for  it  all ;  and  condi- 
tions have  now  reached  a  pass  where  the  tourist  will 
enjoy  himself  immensely  by  including  this  "tour  of  the 
lakes  "  in  his  itinerary,  but  where  it  has  become  one  of 
the  "  high  spot "  features  of  the  trip  through  the  Cana- 
dian Rockies  and  should  not  be  overlooked  by  one  who 
desires  to  include  much  that  was  hitherto  neglected,  but 
has  much  to  prompt  a  traveler's  enthusiastic  praise.  The 
trip  which  appears  to  be  rather  complicated  when  out- 
lined on  a  railway  map,  develops  with  ease  when  under- 
taken. Railway  and  steamboat  connections  have  been 
perfected  after  considerable  experiment  to  accommodate 
a  constantly  increasing  traffic,  and  the  easterner  with 
previously  formed  ideas  of  what  traveling  in  the  Far 
West  must  be  like  after  leaving  the  main  line  of  the  rail- 
roads will  necessarily  correct  his  errors  with  much  speed. 
Going  eastward  from  Yale  the  train  hugs  the  precip- 
itous banks  of  the  Fraser  River  and  shoots  through  a 
tunnel  near  what  is  known  locally  as  "  Lady  Franklin 
Rock,"  which  balances  itself  in  the  swift  water  and  parts 
the  stream.     The  train   soon   reaches   Spuzzum   where 


Orchards  and  Lakes  19'1 

Simon  Fraser  camped  in  June,  1808,  believing  the  river 
to  be  the  Columbia.  Up  to  Spuzzum  everything  seems  a 
foretaste  of  what  is  to  follow.  The  scene  becomes  more 
rugged,  the  rocks  are  higher,  the  channel  of  the  river 
narrower  and  the  waters  foam  in  their  rush  toward  the 
sea.  The  region  is  still  the  home  of  salmon-spearing 
Indians,  whose  ancestors  resented  the  coming  of  the 
white  invader,  but  who  now  look  up  at  the  car  windows 
with  a  listless  expression  as  they  stand  on  improvised 
platforms  built  over  the  rapids  or  place  the  day's  catch 
on  racks  to  dry  in  the  sun.  It  is  preferable  to  take  this 
ride  in  the  spring  when  the  melting  snow  in  the  mountain 
has  filled  the  canyons  and  splashes  down  the  rock  walls 
of  the  mountains  to  the  river.  At  Hell's  Gate  the  stream 
is  squeezed  between  two  projecting  crags  that  shoot  the 
water  and  debris  into  the  air  where  they  strike  defiant 
rocks  and  are  hurled  back  into  the  whirlpool  below.  The 
old  Cariboo  Road  crossed  the  river  at  Spuzzum  and  shreds 
of  the  old  suspension  bridge  are  still  visible  as  they  shot 
out  from  the  roadway  among  cliffs  that  rise  two  hundred 
feet  from  the  water's  edge.  It  is  comfortable  to  sit  in  a 
Pullman  car  or'  on  the  observation  platform  and  observe 
these  tell-tale  survivals  of  the  perilous  pathway,  a  sturdy, 
gone-forever  past. 

After  plunging  through  a  veritable  riot  of  surprising 
landscape,  the  train  emerges  at  North  Bend,  which  has 
a  somewhat  spacious  hotel  and  grounds  near  the  station, 
known  principally  to  hunters,  but  a  comfortable  and  ex- 
hilarating spot  for  at  least  a  brief  stop-over  amid  the 
hills  and  just  above  the  river  which  here  becomes  more 
placid,  the  calm  that  precedes  the  awful  plunge  at  Hell's 
Gate.  The  rails  soon  leave  the  Fraser  and  take  to  the 
canyon  of  the  Thompson  River,  which  is  on  a  more  ma- 


192  Sunset  Canada 


jestic  scale  than  the  valley  just  penetrated.  Towering 
banks  are  on  either  side  and  the  rails  run  along  little 
shelves  of  rock,  making  it  possible  to  look  at  the  water  be- 
low and  to  the  peaks  overhead.  The  train  climbs  to 
Lytton,  which  is  but  a  shadow  of  its  former  importance 
in  the  days  of  gold.  At  Ashcroft  it  is  possible  to  take  a 
motor  stage  to  Barkerville,  through  a  region  of  "  dry- 
belt  "  that  is  being  reclaimed  by  "  dry  "  farming  and  irri- 
gation. When  the  Canadian  Pacific  railway  was  being 
constructed  the  officials  thought,  for  no  particular  reason 
except  operating  necessity,  that  this  was  the  place  for  a 
station,  and  as  the  ranch  passed  was  called  *'  Ashcroft  " 
the  name  was  appropriated,  a  signboard  painted  and  a 
station  built.  In  later  years  the  town  and  the  immedi- 
ate region  has  assumed  considerable  importance.  The 
ride  to  Barkerville  by  motor  is  along  the  trail  of  the 
early  gold-hunters  and  through  regions  where  sensa- 
tional discoveries  a  half  century  ago  attracted  the  world's 
attention  to  the  coast  province.  Beyond  Ashcroft  is 
Kamloops  Lake  and  the  eastern  side  of  the  Coast  Range 
of  mountains.  The  cliffs  are  highly  coloured  and  pro- 
trude through  huge  masses  of  myrtle  green  foliage,  while 
in  June  the  sides  of  the  railway  tracks  are  almost  gar- 
dens of  blossoming  field  lilies,  often  as  large  as  the 
cultivated  species  in  lands  that  seem  more  favoured  by 
rainfall. 

Kamloops  is  a  town  of  considerable  size  and  preten- 
sions, which  has  grown  around  the  old  trading-post  of 
the  fur  companies.  Among  cities  of  mushroom  growth 
in  the  province  it  is  aged,  having  been  a  "  center  of  popu- 
lation "  for  over  a  century.  Its  name,  derived  from  the 
Indian  "  meeting  of  the  waters,"  refers  to  its  location 
at  the  junction  of  the  North  and  South  Thompson  rivers, 


Orchards  and  Lakes 193 

on  a  picturesque  land  cove.  In  the  old  day  it  was  the 
great  half-way  house  of  the  northern  brigade  bringing 
produce  to  the  Pacific  coast,  after  the  overland  route 
was  discarded  as  a  waste  of  energy  for  the  sea  route 
by  way  of  Hawaii  and  the  Horn,  There  were  lively 
days  around  the  trading-post  here,  for  in  addition  to 
thrilling  episodes  in  which  the  factors  and  their  men 
figured,  the  fort  entertained  most  of  the  important  per- 
sonages who  were  making  the  great  journey,  and  several 
of  them  figured  in  a  series  of  episodes  that  some  one  has 
observed  read  like  the  tales  of  Scottish  border  warfare, 
but  which  are  frequently  tinged  with  the  more  exotic  or 
Oriental  flavour  of  the  Corsican  or  Sardinian  vendetta. 
One  thinks  of  the  latter,  for  example,  when  reading  the 
story  of  Tranquille,  after  whom  the  nearby  river  and  vil- 
lage were  named ;  a  story  rescued  from  the  past  by  Hubert 
Howe  Bancroft,  who  so  frequently  performed  a  similar 
mission  in  this  interesting  Northwest  The  story  goes 
that  Tranquille  and  Chief  Factor  Black  had  engaged  in  a 
verbal  battle  concerning  a  gun  which  another  Indian  had 
left  at  the  post.  Matters  were  satisfactorily  settled,  how- 
ever, and  the  chief  went  home  in  his  usual  health,  but 
immediately  fell  ill.  His  squaw  quickly  put  the  blame 
upon  the  "  medicine "  of  the  white  man.  The  chief 
denied  this  and  before  expiring  he  asked  his  friends  to 
bury  him  in  the  "  white  man's  fashion."  Black  sent  a 
coffin  and  the  ceremony  was  performed  as  requested  by 
the  deceased ;  but  the  widow  wailed  piteously,  not  be- 
cause of  the  death  of  her  husband,  but  because  "  all  our 
men  are  cowards  now."  Her  young  nephew  struck  her 
in  the  face  and  told  her  to  be  quiet,  whereupon  she 
publicly  taunted  him  with  being  brave  enough  to  strike  an 
old  woman,  and  not  being  man  enough  to  avenge  his 


194  Sunset  Canada 


uncle's  death.  So  the  boy  arose  and  went  to  the  post 
where  he  was  well  received  and  given  a  pipe  to  smoke. 
As  Black  was  passing  him  the  young  Indian  raised  a 
gun  and  fired.  The  trader  dropped  dead,  and  in  the 
confusion  that  followed  the  murderer  escaped  and  went 
toward  the  Cariboo.  When  the  factor's  successor  ar- 
rived, however,  he  demanded  the  capture  and  execution 
of  the  boy.  In  time  he  was  found,  but  as  he  was  being 
brought  back  to  the  post  in  a  boat  he  gave  a  sudden  jerk, 
capsized  it  and  would  have  made  another  escape  but  for 
the  loyal  Indians  who  observed  him  from  the  bank  and 
shot  him  so  that  his  lifeless  body  sank  in  the  stream. 

Another  story  relates  to  the  celebrated  botanist,  James 
Douglas,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  towering  fir  tree  of 
the  coast.  Douglas  had  stopped  at  the  Kamloops  fort  and 
with  Chief  Factor  Black,  another  Scotchman,  he  formed 
a  friendship  which  ripened  as  the  days  passed.  While 
they  were  over  their  cups  one  night  the  conversation 
drifted  to  the  Hudson's  I^ay  company.  "  There  is  not  an 
officer  in  the  company  with  a  soul  above  a  beaver  skin," 
declared  Douglas.  The  Factor  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
challenged  his  friend  to  fight  a  duel  with  him,  but  as  it 
was  late  the  event  was  postponed  until  the  morning. 
When  the  sun  came  above  the  horizon  Black  rapped  at  the 
door  of  the  guest's  room  and  asked:  "  Meester  Doug- 
las, a'  ye  ready?  "  The  botanist  declined  to  fight  and  a 
night's  sleep  had  cooled  the  brain  of  the  man  who  had 
challenged  him,  so  they  renewed  the  friendship  that  had 
been  suddenly  shattered  by  a  tactless  remark. 

Kamloops  has  come  upon  prosperous  and  less  romantic 
days.  It  has  a  population  that  has  been  placed  as  high  as 
five  thousand,  and  one  who  chances  to  pass  through  the 
town  on  an  early  evening  train  imagines  that  fully  that 


Orchards  and  Lakes  195 

number  of  pedestrians  are  promenading  the  station 
platform  during  the  pause  of  about  a  quarter-hour  in  the 
journey.  One  gains  the  impression  that  the  arrival  of 
the  train  is  one  of  the  notable  social  events  of  the  day. 
A  big  electric  sign  near  the  station  flashes  the  words 
TRY  K AM  LOO  PS  and  the  citizens  seem  to  take  pride 
in  proving  that  they  followed  the  advice.  And  it  is  an 
interesting  spectacle  to  watch  the  promenading  groups 
on  the  station  platform,  including  Indians  in  an  adapta- 
tion of  what  is  considered  "  native  "  costume,  squaws  in 
flaming  scarlet  sweaters  and  with  green  or  purple  hand- 
kerchiefs knotted  around  their  heads,  cowboys  in  fantas- 
tic and  theatrical  outfits  of  the  American  magazine  cover 
variety,  Chinese  of  various  ages,  young  men  about  town 
wearing  "sport"  shirts,  and  girls!  —  girls  elaborately 
and  gaudily  costumed  as  if  for  a  carnival  or  costume 
ball.  I  saw  several  of  them  remain  in  their  motor  cars 
until  the  train  had  stopped,  whereupon  they  bounded  to 
the  platform  and  joined  in  the  promenade.  One  of 
these  wore  a  Tyrian  purple  gown  trimmed  with  a  profu- 
sion of  gold  fringes;  another  carried  a  huge  bouquet  of 
American  Beauty  roses.  Low  ballroom  slippers  of  once 
delicate  shades  were  the  rule  —  strangely  noticeable  in 
an  assembly  where  their  sisters  of  darker  skin  wore 
moccasins!  Life  in  Kamloops  must  be  gay,  if  one  may 
be  permitted  to  judge  from  a  glance. 

It  is  possible  to  leave  the  train  here  and  proceed  down 
the  line  over  fifty  miles  to  Sicamous  by  launch,  through 
the  river,  Shuswap  Lake  and  along  Salmon  Arm,  a  pretty 
region  through  which  the  rails  are  usually  close  to  the 
water's  edge.  The  train  that  leaves  Vancouver  early  in 
the  morning  reaches  this  point  as  darkness  comes,  and  as 
it  is  one  of  the  most  popular  trains  for  trans-Canada 


196  Sunset  Canada 


travelers  the  territory  is  not  so  well  known  as  that  which 
is  penetrated  by  the  day  trains.  And  this  is  unfortunate. 
One  should  not  pass  anywhere  between  Vancouver  and 
Banff  in  the  night  hours,  unless  pressed  for  time ;  and  one 
of  the  most  inviting  spots  for  the  night  stop-over  —  in 
fact  a  hotel  built  for  the  accommodation  of  leisurely 
going  tourists  —  is  Sicamous,  a  place  that  for  beauty  of 
situation  reminds  one  of  a  sequestered  inn  by  a  lake  in 
Switzerland  or  Italy.  The  rails  run  close  to  the  edge  of 
the  lake,  so  the  hotel  is  principally  on  piling  over  the 
M^ater,  with  balconies  and  rooms  that  command  a  charm- 
ing view.  It  has  been  said  that  "  nobody  lives  at  Sicam- 
ous," because  there  was  no  more  room  after  the  railway 
built  the  hotel.  But  as  I  walked  down  the  platform  to  the 
pier,  from  which  steamers  make  the  delightful  trip  around 
Shuswap  Lake,  named  for  the  Indian  tribe  that  inhab- 
ited its  shores  when  the  white  men  came  and  which 
still  has  a  reservation  of  them  in  the  neighbourhood,  I 
was  surprised  to  hear  the  voices  of  a  dozen  or  fifteen 
children.  They  were  scrambling  up  the  rocks  to  the 
little  schoolhouse  that  is  perched  upon  an  eminence  that 
overlooks  a  scene  much  like  that  at  Lakes  George  and 
Champlain.  The  teacher  was  on  the  steps  awaiting  them 
and  ringing  a  bell.  The  little  folks  stood  around  in  a 
group  as  the  British  flag  was  raised,  saluted  it,  sang  the 
national  hymn  and  then  filed  in  to  the  day's  lessons.  So 
there  are  a  few  inhabitants  here,  although  they  are  in- 
visible from  the  railroad. 

The  rails  carry  one  to  the  door  of  this  hotel,  which 
seems  a  Good  Samaritan  Inn  for  the  people  who  like  to 
enjoy  the  quiet  magnificence  of  lake,  mountain,  river,  pine 
forest  and  scenery  unbroken  by  smoking  chimney  pots, 
frame  dwelling  and  roofs.     "  Yes,  we  pride  ourselves  on 


Orchards  and  Lakes  197 

keeping  vases  of  wild  flowers  everywhere  in  the  hotel 
during  the  entire  summer.  We  have  the  pageantry  of 
the  floral  season,"  said  the  manager  when  I  commented 
upon  the  profusion  of  wild  columbine,  moccasin  flowers 
and  other  bloom  from  the  forests  scattered  over  various 
tables.  Orchids,  hundreds  of  them  at  a  summer  hotel 
in  the  mountains !  Just  across  the  lake  there  is  excellent 
deer  hunting  and  caribou  are  plentiful;  but  the  angler  is 
the  sportsman  who  will  be  particularly  gratified.  A  few 
strokes  of  the  paddle  from  the  hotel  steps  brings  one  into 
deep  water  and  this  water  seems  alive  with  trout  waiting 
to  be  caught.  I  have  seen  men  awaiting  a  railway  con- 
nection for  the  South,  take  a  canoe  and  spend  no  more 
than  thirty  minutes  on  the  lake  and  yet  come  back  with 
strings  of  fish  that  look  like  the  '*  Good  Day's  Catch  " 
advertisements  of  the  magazines.  Guests  who  arrive 
at  night  frequently  rise  an  hour  earlier  than  usual  for 
the  purpose  of  making  sure  of  catching  their  own  fish 
for  breakfast  and  having  good  time  to  enjoy  them  before 
the  departure  of  trains  East,  West  or  South. 

I  believe  that  if  statistics  were  available  they  would 
show  that  the  large  majority  of  tourists  keep  to  the  main 
line,  but  it  is  certain  that  when  the  great  lake  district 
to  the  South  becomes  better  known  it  will  not  be  over- 
looked by  the  summer  traveler.  I  have  crossed  the 
Rockies  many  times  and  in  the  course  of  other  years  I 
have  found  myself  among  several  of  the  celebrated  moun- 
tain systems  of  the  world,  but  I  can  say  without  hesita- 
tion that  there  are  scenes  to  the  south  of  Sicamous  that 
will  not  suffer  by  comparison  to  the  most  famous  beauty 
spots  in  the  itineraries  of  world  travel.  One  requires 
only  a  few  days'  additional  time  to  make  the  circular  side- 
trip  of  which  mention  will  follow,  and  these  days  will  be 


198  Sunset  Canada 


remembered  among  all  days  of  journeys  abroad  or  at 
home.  The  little  circuit  shoots  south  to  Penticton,  thence 
over  the  Kettle  Valley  route  to  Midway,  to  Nelson  with 
several  optional  extensions  to  include  Kootenay  Lake  and 
the  Arrow  Lakes,  which  are  merely  a  broadening  of  the 
Columbia  River,  and  one  arrives  back  at  the  main  Hne 
ready  for  the  mighty  plunge  into  the  most  majestic  scen- 
ery of  the  Rockies,  but  having  enjoyed  an  experience 
which  he  would  barely  exchange  for  any  similar  time  in 
the  tour. 

The  branch  train  from  Sicamous,  equipped  with  par- 
lour car  service  equal  to  that  of  the  main  line,  threads  the 
shores  of  Mara  Lake,  around  which  are  towering  tree- 
covered  hills.  It  also  comes  close  to  Shuswap  River  along 
which  the  "  pioneers  "  seem  lately  to  have  arrived.  They 
are  cutting  the  trees  and  building  roads,  bridges  and 
villages,  which  shows  their  unbounded  faith  in  the  dis- 
trict which  was  passed  by  those  w'ho  hurried  on  in  the 
mad  rush  to  procure  property  on  Okanagan  Lake,  when 
it  was  found  to  be  a  "  land  where  orchards  bloom  " — 
and  where  the  orchards  make  independent  men  of  their 
owners  in  a  few  seasons.  Horses  and  cattle  are  in  this 
stumpland  already,  and  further  along  there  are  a  few 
towns  and  villages,  notable  among  which  is  Vernon,  that 
have  already  become  prosperous  as  a  result  of  fruit  and 
vegetable  raising.  Where  the  stumps  are  still  standing, 
I  saw  splendid  fields  of  celery,  onions  and  other  vege- 
tables that  flourish  in  the  rich  dark  loam  that  was  covered 
with  forest  primeval  until  a  few  years  ago.  This  is  still 
considered  to  be  "far  interior"  of  British  Columbia; 
it  is  a  "  wild  "  country,  and  after  one  has  ascended  the 
valley  of  the  Fraser,  after  he  knows  that  he  has  passed 
the  Cascade  Range  and  gone  south  of  that  great  high- 


Orchards  and  Lakes  199 

way  of  rails  over  which  it  has  been  the  pleasure  of  pas- 
sengers to  ride  at  top  speed,  it  is  something  of  a  surprise 
when  the  train  emerges  from  a  deep  forest  and  stops  be- 
side a  lake  as  attractive  to  the  eye  as  any  of  those  sapphire 
waters  of  which  he  has  obtained  a  glance  from  the  car 
window.  It  is  a  surprise,  because  this  is  the  "  end  of  the 
line."  But  one  is  not  left  in  this  wilderness;  for  tied  to 
the  dock  is  the  big  three-decked  steamer  that  is  sched- 
uled to  meet  the  incoming  train. 

It  is  close  to  the  noon  hour  and  the  experienced  trav- 
eler inquired  from  a  train  man  if  it  would  not  be  a  wise 
precaution  to  fortify  himself  with  a  couple  of  sandwiches 
at  the  railway  station.  This  is  the  out-of-the-way  por- 
tion of  British  Columbia;  perhaps  the  steamer's  owners 
do  not  think  of  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the 
passengers,  as  one  has  frequently  found  to  be  the  case 
under  similar  conditions  far  to  the  east  of  British  Co- 
lumbia. The  train  man  laughs :  "  I  guess  you  are  a 
stranger,  all  right."  This  admitted,  he  continues:  "yes, 
you'll  find  all  accommodations  aboard  ship."  Here  on  a 
lake  in  the  British  Columbia  hinterland  is  a  fine  ship, 
with  a  great  lounging  room,  a  fine  observation  deck  en- 
closed within  glass  windows,  and  a  luncheon  similar  to 
that  which  is  served  on  the  famous  "  Empress "  grey- 
hounds that  cross  to  the  Orient  from  Vancouver  and 
Victoria!  Quickly  after  the  arrival  of  the  train  there 
is  a  signal,  all  of  the  passengers  and  cargo  are  on  board, 
and  the  steamer  starts  on  its  zigzag  cruise  of  the  lake 
that  brings  it  to  the  other  end  in  time  for  dinner  at 
Penticton.  Here  again  one  steps  into  the  wilderness,  but 
with  all  the  luxury  of  travel  that  might  be  expected  any- 
where in  the  East.  The  country  is  "  new  " ;  even  its 
principal  cities  and  towns.     In  some  of  the  smaller  ham- 


200  Sunset  Canada 


lets  log  cabins  are  visible,  perhaps  a  few  shacks  of  recent 
arrivals,  because  people  came  so  rapidly  that  there  were 
not  enough  carpenters  to  put  up  the  more  substantial 
dwellings  for  which  their  owners  were  prepared  to  pay 
cash;  but  the  majority  of  these  "westerners"  hve  in 
good  homes,  however,  dwellings  that  were  built  for  the 
future  as  well  as  for  the  present.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  the  majority  of  settlers  in  this  region  brought  fat 
purses  when  they  came,  and  it  is  whispered  that  it  is 
one  of  the  favourite  regions  for  those  Britishers  who 
may  expect  "  remittances  "  from  home  as  regularly  as 
the  calendar  indicates  a  certain  day  each  month.  The 
people  who  come  down  to  the  rustic  piers  to  meet  the  in- 
coming steamer  are  not  the  usual  "  country  louts  "  of 
eastern  villages,  but  in  the  majority  of  cases  are  well  to 
do,  educated  and  well  groomed  people  of  the  sort  who 
make  cities  of  progress. 

It  is  a  ride  of  about  sixty-five  miles  across  Okanagan 
Lake,  as  the  crow  flies ;  but  the  steamer  does  not  follow 
any  such  route  and  cruises  over  eighty-five  miles  in 
making  the  trip,  sometimes  nearer  a  hundred  miles,  be- 
cause she  answers  signals  from  the  shore  on  "  flag  days," 
and  the  traveler  is  glad  to  find  that  almost  all  days  are 
so  designated.  Some  of  these  piers  are  little  more  than 
wooden  pathways  that  lead  down  into  the  water  from 
dense  forest.  Always  looking  beyond  the  bow  of  the 
steamer  the  hills  roll  to  the  water's  edge,  row  after  row 
or  range  upon  range,  while  away  beyond,  on  a  clear  day, 
one  sees  still  higher  peaks  covered  with  snow  that  glistens 
in  the  sunshine  and  appears  to  be  a  waving  fleecy  cloud. 

At  Kelowna,  a  town  with  over  three  thousand  popula- 
tion, there  is  a  pavilion  to  watch  the  water  sports  near 
the  pier,  a  park  and  streets  that  are  busy  with  the  trade 


Cherries  Grown  at  Kelo'wna?-'<^^^^ 


Orchards  and  Lakes  201 

from  something  like  fifty  thousand  acres  of  fruit  land, 
much  of  which  has  already  paid  big  tribute  to  cultivation. 
The  landing-stage  swarms  with  the  smartly  costumed 
throng  which  has  assembled  to  bid  "  bon  voyage  "  to 
those  who  are  departing.  In  their  farewells  one  notes  a 
decided  English  accent  and  a  friendliness  that  is  almost 
that  of  fellow  exiles,  but  they  would  resent  any  "  sym- 
pathy "  on  that  score.  Most  of  them  are  here  from 
choice;  they  prefer  Kelowna  to  anywhere  else.  The 
feminine  population  wears  bright  coloured  silk  sweaters, 
Panama  hats  with  bright  bands  —  they  seem  almost  to 
have  become  infected  with  the  Indian's  love  for  flashy 
colours  —  silken  hose,  fine  American  "  boots  "  and  gowns 
the  latest  cut,  all  purchased  with  last  year's  harvest  of 
fruit  that  is  coming  to  have  a  name  that  means  as  much 
as  Red  River  oranges  or  California  grapes.  Kelowna 
peaches,  pears,  plums,  cherries  and  strawberries!  The 
advertisements  are  true;  one  who  tastes  them,  cares  for 
no  other.  And  with  all  this  money-making  in  most 
agreeable  surroundings,  the  best  traditions  of  England 
have  been  maintained,  although  somewhat  adapted  to  the 
new  surroundings.  Here  is  no  suggestion  of  the  Briton 
of  Victoria,  but  the  out-door  loving  Englishman  and  the 
English  woman  of  ambition  and  rather  athletic  tendency. 
They  revel  in  the  beautiful  free  life  of  the  country  and 
are  convinced  that  it  is  the  most  attractive  spot  in  the 
whole  empire.  It  is  a  locality  that  is  producing  young 
ladies  who  would  readily  be  recognized  by  their  Ameri- 
can sisters  as  "  English,"  but  they  are  the  English  girls 
who  have  tennis  racket  in  hand  rather  than  those  willowy 
Burne-Jones  types  who  seem  to  be  imitating  the  figures 
on  stained  glass  windows. 

Peachland,  Summerland,  Naramata  are  much  the  same, 


202  Sunset  Canada 


prosperous  communities  most  of  which  owe  their  life 
to  the  orchards  that  cover  the  "  shelves  "  of  the  lake  bank. 
Most  of  them  have  comfortable  hotels,  "  Belle  Vue," 
"  Bella  Vista  "  and  "  Buena  Vista,"  with  an  occasional 
tribute  to  English  royalty  in  their  names,  that  are  equipped 
to  entertain  all  visitors  who  pass  this  way  and  are  so 
charmed  with  the  surroundings  that  they  "  break  "  the 
lake  trip  by  stopping  over  until  the  steamer  next  day  or 
next  week.  There  was  one  notable  exception,  however,  a 
pier  that  was  reached  a  few  minutes  after  leaving  Ke- 
lowna.  It  was  more  what  the  average  easterner  be- 
lieves the  "  Far  West "  to  be  like;  and  yet  so  speedy  is 
the  growth  of  these  towns  that  are  reclaimed  from  forest 
lands  that  one  imagines  that  conditions  will  have  altered 
ere  these  lines  are  in  print.  The  place  is  called  West 
Bank.  A  young  "  cow  boy,"  lassoo  and  all  the  "  trim- 
mings "  on  his  horse,  came  down  to  the  edge  of  the  pier 
at  a  full  gallop  and  deposited  a  sack  of  mail  in  the  hands 
of  a  ship's  officer.  On  the  bank  there  was  a  fine  crop 
of  sage  brush  through  which  a  meandering  trail  was 
visible  from  the  deck.  It  seemed  almost  the  waste  lands 
of  Arizona;  but  here  w^ere  the  waters  of  the  lake,  and 
we  had  seen  Kelowna  such  a  short  distance  away !  One 
place  remained  as  it  was  and  another  had  responded  to  the 
hand  of  man.  A  stolid  Indian  was  sitting  on  the  pier, 
seemingly  the  only  other  "  inhabitant  "  of  the  place.  He 
did  not  take  any  interest  in  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  and 
looked  off  in  the  opposite  direction.  It  is  possible  that 
over  beyond  the  "  shelf  "  there  are  orchards  and  "  col- 
onists " —  the  mail  sack  suggested  that  possibility  — but  it 
was  weird,  this  stopping  of  a  big  steamer  at  a  port  where 
there  were  only  two  men,  only  a  sack  of  mail  for  cargo! 
As  evening  is  approaching  the  steamer  pulls  up  to  the 


Orchards  and  Lakes  203 

wharf  at  Penticton,  the  "  Hub  of  the  Okanagan,"  "  The 
Place  Where  All  Ways  Meet,"  the  former  site  of  Tom 
Ellis'  ranch  and  the  cherries  that  started  immigration  in 
this  direction  and  not  only  caused  a  city  to  rise  as  if  by 
magic  but  also  prompted  the  building  of  other  towns 
and  villages  that  border  the  misty  waters.  Some  one 
around  the  big  hotel  that  was  erected  by  the  railway  for 
the  entertainment  of  as  many  guests  as  are  likely  to  pass 
this  way  for  many  years  handed  me  a  slip  of  paper, 
when  I  asked  for  information  about  the  city.  One  side 
of  the  slip  was  covered  with  a  photographic  reproduc- 
tion of  the  city  viewed  from  the  lake  and  the  other 
contained  the  stereotyped  statement  that  this  was  a  town 
that  offered  much  to  home-seekers.  Testimonial  letters 
from  "  early  settlers,"  who  had  been  on  the  ground  four 
or  five  years  told  of  the  amount  of  money  they  had  made 
on  small  investments,  of  the  number  of  bushels  of  peaches 
and  apricots  grown  on  small  acreage,  and  of  the  improved 
facilities  for  getting  fruit  to  market.  There  was  only 
one  sentence  that  interested  me ;  only  one  that  is  likely  to 
interest  other  tourists.  "  Penticton  has  been  much 
blessed  by  nature."  None  who  gave  it  even  a  passing 
glance  could  doubt  that.  One  who  stayed  on  for  many 
days  or  weeks  would  doubtless  be  zealous  in  his  repeti- 
tion of  this  truism.  It  would  not  be  exaggerating  to  say 
that  there  are  few  spots  on  earth  where  nature  has  been 
more  lavish  of  her  gifts.  It  is  no  borrowing  from  a 
real  estate  agent's  pamphlet  to  say  that  one  has  seldom 
seen  a  place  in  his  life  that  seemed  more  perfectly  adapted 
to  becoming  the  habitation  of  man,  for  while  there  is 
beauty  to  enchant  him  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  in  every 
direction  his  eyes  may  follow,  there  is  also  an  assurance 
of  ample  reward  for  his  toil. 


204  Sunset  Canada 


Majestic  mountains  hem  in  the  city  and  the  lake  in  a 
basin  that  has  a  mild  climate,  rarely  too  hot  or  too  cold ; 
on  these  mountain  peaks,  excepting  in  midsummer,  are 
great  drifts  of  snow.  The  lake  is  said  by  the  scientists 
to  serve  as  a  thermostat  which  tempers  the  cold  winds 
that  sweep  over  nearby  districts  in  winter  and  the  hot 
gusts  that  parch  fields  in  July  and  August.  I  have  not 
seen  the  life  here  in  winter  but  I  have  seen  it  in  summer 
when  it  appears  to  be  blissful  and  serene.  When  I  in- 
quired of  an  "  old-timer  "  as  to  the  principal  winter  occu- 
pation, he  replied :  "  We  spend  our  time  chopping  props 
to  hold  up  the  fruit-laden  trees  during  the  following  sum- 
mer." Many  people  have  come  here  from  the  prairies  of 
Alberta,  Manitoba  and  Saskatchewan.  "  Life  is  dull  in 
a  flat  country,"  they  say.  The  prairie-lover  retorts: 
"  We  do  not  care  to  be  '  hedged  in  '  by  hills  when  we  want 
to  look  beyond  our  own  dooryards."  And  they  both 
compromise  by  conceding  that  "  what's  food  for  one  is 
poison  for  another  " ;  but  the  weight  of  opinion  would  be 
in  favour  of  the  hills.  And  the  hills  where  things  grow 
as  they  grow  in  the  sub-tropics !  That  may  be  claimed  by 
the  residents  of  the  lake  country. 

Penticton's  Front  Street  is  a  long  avenue  that  skirts 
the  end  of  the  lake.  Across  the  pavement  are  the  sands 
of  the  beach  and  underneath  the  group  of  shade-trees 
are  rustic  benches  for  the  townsfolk  as  if  it  were  a  park 
—  enough  seats  almost  for  the  entire  urban  population. 
Here  is  a  fine  club-house  set  out  over  the  water.  The 
depths  usually  float  canoes  and  rowboats,  and  excellent 
bathing  beaches  extend  the  length  of  the  town.  Large, 
substantial  bungalows  of  modern  design  and  fine  gar- 
dens border  the  highway.  Little  wonder  that  Earl  Grey, 
when  Governor  General  of  Canada,  saw  conditions  here 


Orchards  and  Lakes  205 

and  said :  "  Fruit  growing  has  acquired  the  distinction 
of  being  a  beautiful  art  as  well  as  a  most  profitable  indus- 
try." 

Penticton  has  wide  cement  walks  in  its  principal  streets 
and  in  other  "  streets  "  where  large  plots  of  ground  are 
still  stumpage,  even  along  marshy  districts  not  yet  re- 
claimed, where  tall  cat-tails  abound  and  where  turtles  may 
be  seen  sunning  themselves  on  logs  —  five  minutes'  walk 
from  the  business  center  of  stone  and  brick  buildings. 
But  this  is  not  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  life  in  this 
"  boom  "  metropolis  of  the  lake  country.  One  also  sees 
electric  lights  in  tents  occupied  by  newcomers  who  have 
not  had  time  to  erect  bungalows,  but  who  are  enjoying 
the  "  luxury  "  of  living  in  Penticton.  Not  far  from  these 
tent  dwelling  are  shops  that  would  compare  favourably 
with  those  in  any  city  of  similar  population  in  the  world. 
"  Our  people  want  only  the  latest  fashions  and  the  best 
of  everything,"  said  a  merchant,  who  stood  in  front  of  his 
store  inspecting  a  new  window  display  of  gowns  that  had 
just  arrived  from  New  York.  "  You  are  suprised  ?  You 
expected  to  find  our  girls  wearing  *  Mother  Hubbards  ' 
away  off  here,  I  suppose.  No,  they  are  more  particular 
about  their  costumes  I  imagine  than  they  w^ere  when  they 
Hred  in  the  East  or  in  London.  We've  girls  here  who 
lived  in  the  largest  city  in  the  world  before  they  came 
here  and  they  used  to  get  gowns  made  from  Paris  models. 
And  they  haven't  changed  their  ideas ;  they  want  the  latest 
styles  in  Penticton ;  and,  what's  more,  they  get  them,  as 
you  have  doubtless  observed." 

And  this  demand  of  the  girls  and  women  for  "  style  " 
is  equalled  by  the  demand  of  the  men.  They  demand 
and  have  acquired  municipal  ownership  of  waterworks, 
electric  light  and  irrigation.     They  have  Single  Tax.     I 


206  Sunset  Canada 

doubt  if  there  is  any  region  elsewhere  in  which  a  railroad 
offers  its  patrons  so  much  as  in  this  Canadian  Pacific  rail- 
way territory  of  Okanagan  Lake.  Here  a  crossing  of  the 
lake  and  .a  full  stop  at  a  wharf  is  made  by  the  scheduled 
steamer  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  a  bag  of  chicken- 
feed,  a  crate  of  eggs  or  a  coil  of  rope.  It  is  service  such 
as  many  larger  communities  do  not  obtain  from  transpor- 
tation companies;  and  the  secret  of  it  all  must  be  that 
the  big  corporation  is  thinking  of  the  future  rather  than 
of  the  present,  of  that  day  which  it  is  predicted  is  not  far 
off,  when  every  available  acre  of  land  on  Okanagan's 
shores  will  be  sending  its  wonderful  fruit  to  distant  parts 
of  Canada  and  to  other  countries. 

And  yet  Okanagan  is  but  one  of  a  chain  of  lakes  and 
rivers  over  which  similar  steamers  run  and  where  portages 
are  made  by  fast  railway  connections,  some  of  which  have 
been  recently  installed  and  provide  as  good  entertainment 
for  tourists  as  the  necessary  communication  with  the 
outside  world  for  the  lake-dwellers,  who  have  come  to 
expect  mail,  express  and  freight  deliveries  as  punctual  as 
the  apartment  house  resident  of  Toronto,  Chicago  or  Los 
Angeles.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  "  Tour  of  the  British 
Columbia  Lakes  "  will  become  as  popular  with  travelers 
a  few  years  hence  as  the  Tour  of  the  Mountains  via  main 
line  has  been  in  the  past.  It  is  a  tour  that  has  no  equal 
on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  either  in  Canada  or  in  the 
United  States  and  it  is  one  that  deserves  to  take  its  place 
along  with  those  wonder  days  in  the  European  itinerary 
that  includes  the  Swiss  Lakes,  the  Italian  Lakes,  the 
Amalfi  Drive,  or  those  marvelous  twistings  and  turnings 
along-the  French  or  Italian  Riviera. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

"  THE    TOUR   OF    THE    LAKES  " 

"  I've  been  on  those  American  switch-back,  shoot-the- 
chutes,  loop-the-loop  scenic-railway  affairs  that  you  have 
at  pleasure  resorts  to  provide  a  thrill,"  said  a  hotel  clerk 
at  the  Incola,  when  I  checked  out  and  remarked  that  I  was 
leaving  by  the  morning  train  that  goes  to  Nelson  over  the 
comparatively  new  Kettle  Valley  route,  "  but  I  am  willing 
to  admit  that  I  never  found  out  what  a  real  thrill  was 
like  until  I  went  over  the  Kettle  Valley.  Think  of  what  I 
say  when  you  find  yourself  out  on  a  shelf  of  rock  on  top  of 
the  mountain  and  look  down  on  Arrow  Lakes!  That 
makes  the  wildest  thriller  of  Coney  Island  seem  as  tame 
as  a  canoe  ride  on  Lake  Okanagan.  Remember  what  I 
say  when  you  begin  to  slide  along  the  edge  of  that  shelf 
to  the  valley  below.  If  you  have  ever  looked  at  scenery 
that  equals  this  —  from  the  window  of  a  railway  car  — 
well,  they  should  give  you  a  medal.  But  you  haven't; 
there  isn't  any." 

I  did  recall  the  clerk's  words,  not  only  once,  but  several 
times  during  the  day's  ride.  Not  only  when  we  were 
creeping  along  shelves  far  above  the  water,  when  we  were 
sliding  down  the  "  chute  "  that  borders  the  Arrow  Lakes, 
but  also  when  we  were  zigzagging  up  mountainsides, 
where  the  rails  seem  to  follow  a  trail  first  made  by  goats, 
and  when  we  w^ere  skimming  along  the  banks  of  rivers 
close  to  waterfalls  and  rapids,  or  plunging  around  curves 
in  the  valley  in  which  tall  pines  were  reaching  their 

207 


208  Sunset  Canada 


crests  towards  the  sun.  I  recalled  them  when  the  locomo- 
tive seemed  to  have  found  gateways  to  mountain-passes 
and  was  plunging  ahead  past  great  snow-capped  sentinels 
which  seem,  as  one  looks  ahead,  to  bar  all  further  prog- 
ress. This,  however,  is  what  appears  to  be  the  case  as  the 
train  enters  other  mountain-passes,  when  it  is  constantly 
turning  sharp  curv^es  and  the  locomotive  shoots  from 
sight  as  if  it  had  plunged  its  face  into  a  cliff.  One 
knows  there  has  been  no  such  accident,  because  the  wheels 
turn  at  their  usual  pace.  One  by  one  the  cars  reach  what 
seems  to  be  the  obstruction  and  they  glide  over  the  great 
mountain  threshold  into  the  ravine.  What  seemed  to  bar 
admission  was  but  huge  piles  of  rock  standing  like  guard- 
ians of  an  enchanted  land. 

The  morning  train  leaves  Penticton  at  an  early  hour; 
but  the  hands  of  the  clock  are  pointing  on  well  toward 
noon  when  Penticton  finally  disappears  from  sight. 
From  the  shores  of  the  lake  one  may  follow  the  trail  of 
the  railway  up  the  mountain  side,  if  he  look  carefully 
and  trace  a  worm-like  path  —  that  goes  through  the  pine 
tops  and  finally  fades  from  sight  over  the  northern  crest ; 
but  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  the  splendour  of  the  view 
of  the  entire  lake  unless  one  has  hung  upon  those  benches 
of  rock  and  viewed  it  from  the  several  shelves  that  were 
carved  by  the  railroad-builders.  In  the  morning  light  it 
appears  to  be  a  huge  sapphire  set  in  a  rim  of  emerald. 
It  glistens,  and  the  passing  clouds  cast  weird  reflections 
in  its  depths.  The  orchards  at  its  shores  spread  their  foli- 
age on  huge  prongs  —  in  reality  cliffs  jutting  from  the 
bank  —  holding  the  jewel  in  place  and  giving  it  an  appro- 
priate setting.  A  canoe  seems  to  be  no  larger  than  a  pin- 
prick ;  the  steamer  which  seemed  surprisingly  large  when 
one  was  a  passenger  is  now  but  a  toy  barge.     One  traces 


"  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  "  209 

the  shore-line  until  it  fades  from  sight  in  the  north;  to 
the  south  until  the  waters  narrow  to  the  beach  that  is  the 
front  door  of  Penticton,  on  and  on  through  that  crooked, 
narrow  stream  to  Okanagan  Falls,  fourteen  miles  south  of 
the  city.  Off  there  is  the  Similkameen  District  that  lies 
near  the  International  Boundary.  It  is  as  if  the  trav- 
eler were  a  passenger  in  an  aeroplane ;  the  train  with  its 
curvings  back  and  forth  seems  to  be  drifting  on  the  wind. 
Certainly  if  the  steamer  were  larger  it  would  be  possible 
to  look  straight  down  the  funnel.  Such  is  the  sensation 
of  being  carried  at  a  rapid  pace  to  such  dizzying  heights ! 
But  the  passenger  should  settle  back  in  his  chair  and  de- 
cline to  become  panicky.  Greater  thrills  are  in  store. 
This  is  but  a  practice  exhibition  for  the  feats  that  the  train 
is  to  perform  later  in  the  day.  One  continues  to  be 
awed,  but  comes  to  be  surprised  at  nothing.  If  the  engi- 
neer should  decide  to  loop  the  loop  that,  too,  might  be 
possible!  Who  dares  to  measure  the  accomplishments 
of  railway-builders  of  the  present  or  the  future!  Noth- 
ing seems  to  be  a  permanent  obstacle  in  their  pathway.  A 
few^  years  ago  this  Kettle  Valley  route  would  have  been 
considered  an  improbability  or  an  impossibility ;  to-day  it 
is  a  reality,  and  already  those  who  frequently  patronize 
the  line  look  upon  it  as  being  worthy  of  little  remark  in 
this  country  of  so  many  superlative  marvels.  It  will  be 
many  years,  however,  before  it  fails  to  thrill  even  the 
most  seasoned  tourist  who  is  used  to  trestles,  bridges, 
mountains  and  lakes. 

The  train  takes  a  running  start  from  the  little  railway 
station  that  reaches  to  the  pier  in  the  lake.  Circling  far 
out  among  the  orchards  of  the  suburbs,  it  turns  abruptly 
and  begins  the  ascent.  During  the  first  three  or  four 
miles  it  keeps  close  to  the  first  "  bench  "  of  the  shore,  but 


210  Sunset  Canada 


gradually  rising  among  the  pine  forests  which  it  pene- 
trates, it  turns  a  curve  and  begins  another  ascent  toward 
the  South.  One  feels  that  he  must  have  gone  half  the 
length  of  the  entire  lake;  but  here  at  the  end  of  over  an 
hour  he  is  back  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city,  the 
difference  being  that  the  train  is  far  above  the  church 
spires  down  there  in  the  valley,  far,  far  above  the  tops  of 
the  Cottonwood  trees  that  line  the  shore  at  Front  Street. 
Again  a  curve.  The  engine  pants  furiously  under  the 
task  that  it  is  performing,  but  there  is  no  perceptible 
diminution  of  speed;  it  was  built  for  climbing,  and  al- 
though the  train  is  heavy,  the  engineer  knows  its  powers. 
Again  the  journey  is  repeated  toward  the  North,  but  in 
addition  to  looking  down  upon  and  across  the  lake  it  is 
possible  to  look  down  to  the  rails  on  the  lower  "  bench  " 
that  were  covered  an  hour  before.  The  operation  con- 
tinues several  times,  the  locomotive  takes  curves  and 
spurts  ahead  again  on  a  new  grade  and  the  cars  follow. 
One  looks  out  and  sees  the  neat  and  prosperous  little 
towns  that  line  the  valley  on  both  sides  of  the  lake;  but 
the  train  is  constantly  withdrawing  from  them  in  its 
journey  toward  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Midway 
in  the  ascent  there  are  great  slits  in  the  mountainside, 
ravines  and  canyons,  the  floor  of  which  is  carpeted  with 
waving  pines.  The  train  shoots  out  upon  trestles  far 
above  the  topmost  branches  and  is  soon  again  on  the 
stone  or  gravel  shelf.  The  sensation  from  a  car  win- 
dow is  that  of  looking  at  motion  pictures  taken  by  a 
photographer  in  an  aeroplane.  Toward  the  summit  the 
timberline  is  neared  and  the  vegetation  becomes  sparse. 
The  big  blocks  have  been  blasted  from  the  pathway  of 
the  rails  and  they  have  gone  tumbling  down  the  moun- 
tainside, until  they  met  an  obstruction  and  piled  up  in 


"The  Tour  of  the  Lakes"  211 

rugged  heaps,  sometimes  in  fantastic  manner  supported 
by  one  projecting  prong  as  if  awaiting  the  shghtest  vibra- 
tion that  would  send  them  tumbHng  down  the  incline, 
where  gaining  momentum  they  would  crush  everything 
in  their  path  to  the  lake's  bottom.  In  many  ways  it  is 
the  "  wildest "  region  penetrated  by  a  railroad  in  Brit- 
ish Columbia.  The  only  "  houses  "  are  the  deserted  log 
cabins  that  were  occupied  as  construction  camps.  I 
wanted  to  send  a  telegram,  but  the  conductor  said :  "  We 
won't  arrive  at  a  telegraph  office  before  three  o'clock  this 
afternoon."  We  were  on  some  long  hike  into  the  wilder- 
ness, or  traveling  by  ponies;  at  least  this  would  have 
seemed  to  be  the  case,  had  not  the  good  rate  of  speed  con- 
tinued. 

Up  near  the  summit  we  are  on  neighbourly  terms 
with  the  surrounding  peaks  that  are  covered  with  snow 
summer  and  winter.  They  are  higher  and  far  distant, 
but  many  of  them  seem  to  be  little  more  than  a  stone's 
throw  across  the  valleys.  Up  here  the  air  is  chilly, 
even  in  a  July  noon ;  but  we  know  that  it  is  summer  by 
the  patches  of  flowers  that  bloom  along  the  railroad 
tracks  and  because  a  few  hours  before  we  have  seen  fruit 
on  the  trees  in  the  valley. 

Finally,  the  streams  caused  by  melting  snow  are  run- 
ning in  the  opposite  direction.  We  have  crossed  a 
"  divide  "  without  being  aware  of  it.  The  streams  com- 
bine their  courses  and  become  the  rapidly  flowing  Kettle 
River,  along  the  banks  of  which  the  train  now  runs. 
Again  we  are  in  the  valley,  and  in  most  ways  it  is  like 
other  valleys  of  the  province,  fertile  meadows  in  which 
cattle  graze,  considerable  plowed  land  and  many  farm- 
houses; but  there  is  a  difference,  because  it  is  a  valley 
far  up  in  the  mountains.     We  recall  the  climb  of  the 


212  Sunset  Canada 


morning  and  a  glance  around  shows  that  the  green  fields 
are  irrigated.  We  have  arrived  near  Midway.  There  is 
a  breezy,  somewhat  "  western/'  group  of  people  on  the 
station  platform. 

"  That  big  fellow  is  one  of  the  best  guides  in  British 
Columbia,"  said  a  railway  man,  indicating  a  huge,  raw- 
boned  male  who  was  strutting  along  beside  the  train. 
Sombrero,  chaps,  rattling  spurs  and  a  bright  scarf  around 
his  neck  gave  him  distinction  among  the  others.  "  When 
you  want  game  —  big  game  —  he's  the  boy  who  can  lead 
you  to  it." 

"  Ever  come  across  deer  beside  the  railway  tracks ;  that 
is,  do  you  ever  see  them  from  the  car  window  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Do  we?  Yes,  and  bear  too!  You  know  what  they 
tell  you  about  seeing  zebra  from  the  African  railroads? 
Well,  we  can  match  any  of  those  stories  on  this  line  with 
deer.  Why,  we've  run  straight  into  herds  of  them! 
Several  times  they  were  crossing  the  track  and  the  engi- 
neer tooted  his  whistle  for  them  to  get  out  of  the  way. 
The  train  usually  makes  them  panicky  and  if  the  herd  is 
crossing  the  rails  those  behind  will  all  attempt  to  follow 
the  leaders.  Just  the  other  day  many  of  them  had 
crossed  considerable  distance  ahead  of  the  engine.  The 
engineer  tooted  the  whistle,  because  several  were  on  the 
track.  They  gave  a  leap  and  reached  safe  ground  in  the 
underbrush  —  all  but  one.  In  his  hurry  to  join  the 
herd,  and  in  fright,  he  tried  to  leap  the  fence  and  became 
impaled  on  a  post.  He  was  still  there  when  the  train 
passed,  but  the  next  day  we  looked  and  he  was  gone. 
The  best  way  to  see  them  is  to  come  through  here  on  a 
freight  just  at  nightfall  when  they  are  going  to  water. 
Then  you  see  them  best  of  all  if  you  can  get  permission 
to  ride  on  the  engine.     The  headlight  confuses  them  and 


African 


Lake  Christina. 


:t  them 


''  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes ''  213 

they  stand  and  look  at  it  from  the  trackside.  Bear,  of 
course,  are  not  so  plentiful;  but  several  times  this  season 
we  have  seen  bears  scampering  off  to  the  bush  when  the 
train  intruded  upon  them.  Like  a  number  of  people, 
they  haven't  yet  heard  that  the  Kettle  Valley  railroad  has 
been  built.  When  tourists  begin  to  find  it  out,  I  expect 
the  deer  and  bear  will  know  it  too,  and  they'll  keep  back 
from  the  tracks." 

Grand  Forks  is  a  town  where  the  irrigated  orchards  are 
as  well  kept  as  the  orange  orchards  of  California.  Con- 
sequently, and  by  reason  of  other  favourable  conditions, 
there  is  a  demand  in  the  markets  for  apples  from  this 
place.  The  river  rushes  along  beside  the  rails,  water 
seems  to  be  plentiful ;  but  the  banks  are  dry.  Logs  begin 
to  clog  its  passage  and  cover  the  surface  of  the  water. 
They  are  on  their  way  to  the  mill  at  Cascade,  where  the 
railroad  crosses  a  deep  slit  in  the  rock  and  the  water 
plunges  over  a  high  dam  built  of  logs. 

The  rails  begin  to  rise  again  on  a  shelf  of  rock  and 
over  the  tops  of  the  trees  far  down  in  the  valley  spreads 
Lake  Christina,  placid,  glistening  and  bluish-green,  like 
the  other  lakes  of  this  forest  land.  The  train  proceeds 
along  the  pine-  and  spruce-clad  banks,  as  earlier  in  the 
day  it  had  skirted  Okanagan  Lake.  "  These  are  mineral- 
laden  hills,"  continues  the  trainman  who  admits  that  how- 
ever the  passengers  along  the  route  may  feel  about  it  he 
has  the  enthusiasm  of  a  tenderfoot  every  time  he  makes 
the  run,  "  only  the  surface  has  been  scratched  (an  expres- 
sion that  one  is  to  hear  so  often  in  this  region).  The 
prospectors  have  been  too  busy  elsewhere." 

A  "  helper  "  engine  is  coupled  on  ahead  of  the  "  reg- 
ular "  and  there  is  a  steep  climb,  more  difficult  than  any 
of  the  grades  previously  encountered.     Up  and  up  until 


214  Sunset  Canada 


the  summit  of  another  mountain  is  reached  and  when  one 
is  anticipating  the  usual  curve  before  the  descent  the 
train  runs  out  on  a  ledge  of  rock,  as  if  floating  in  mid- 
air; from  the  car  window  is  visible  the  amazing  panorama 
of  the  Arrow  Lakes. 

When  Robert  Hichens  was  in  Egypt  he  visited  the  re- 
mains of  ancient  civilization  scattered  along  the  Nile  and 
was  reminded  of  the  "  personality  "  of  cities,  even  as  they 
are  viewed  in  ruins.  He  was  right ;  cities  like  New  York 
and  Chicago  are  different  in  essentials.  Osaka  is  unlike 
Toyko,  just  as  London  differs  from  Paris  or  Berlin. 
Toronto  is  no  more  like  Victoria  than  San  Francisco  is 
like  Bombay,  so  far  as  "  personality  "  or  individuality  is 
concerned.  But  if  this  be  true  of  cities,  it  is  truer  of 
rivers.  Cities  might  resemble  one  another  when  viewed 
from  a  Zeppelin;  rivers  never!  The  Yangtze,  Amazon, 
Mississippi,  Nile  and  Hudson,  each  is  as  individual  as  a 
human  being.  And  even  more  noticeable  perhaps  is  the 
fact  that  the  same  difference  or  distinction  may  be  ob- 
served when  the  rivers  lie  close  together,  when  they 
water  the  same  slopes  and  flow  through  the  same  state  or 
province.  Their  common  source  may  be  the  same  pool 
of  melted  snow,  but  one  flows  south,  the  other  north,  east 
or  west;  it  is  the  same  with  two  persons  starting  from 
the  same  pivot  and  pursuing  dift'erent  tangents  which 
will  result  in  the  development  of  contrasting  character- 
istics. The  Fraser,  Skeena,  Columbia,  Mackenzie,  Peace, 
all  rivers  of  this  far  Northwest,  are  as  distinctive  as  if 
they  belonged  to  different  continents.  One  thing  they 
all  have  in  common,  however ;  they  are  all  boisterous  at 
times,  proving  a  similarity  of  disposition.  There  are 
placid  stages  in  their  rush  toward  the  ocean  where  their 
waters  are  as  calm  as  millponds.     It  is  in  this  mood  that 


"The  Tour  of  the  Lakes"  215 

■>  •  — 

one  who  journeys  in  this  direction  first  views  the  Colum- 
bia. Here  it  loses  its  identity  and  passes  by  the  name  of 
Arrow  Lakes. 

One  recalls  how  the  Jordan's  banks  broaden,  its  waters 
become  still  and  the  world  knows  it  as  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee, although  it  proves  its  identity  as  it  bursts  forth  at 
the  further  end  of  the  lake  and  becomes  the  Jordan  again 
until  it  reaches  the  Dead  Sea.  The  Columbia  flows 
through  the  Arrow  Lakes,  just  as  in  theory  the  St.  Law- 
rence might  be  said  to  rise  in  Lake  Superior  if  Lakes 
Huron,  Erie  and  Ontario  were  channels  easily  spanned  by 
the  naked  eye. 

The  Columbia  River  rises  far  to  the  north,  and  in  its 
descent  of  over  two  thousand  feet  before  its  waters  reach 
the  Pacific  the  fourteen-hundred  mile  river  merits  its 
reputation  for  beauty.  It  bounds  over  rocks  and  plays 
turbulent  pranks  with  the  banks  that  hem  it  in.  Enthu- 
siastic travelers  have  made  the  descent  of  this  river  in 
boats,  following  in  the  wake  of  the  canoes  of  the  fur- 
traders  of  long  ago,  and  reveling  in  scenic  marvels  that 
have  caused  them  to  doubt  if  there  is  anything  more 
beautiful  on  the  continent.  But  even  these  modern  voy- 
agers and  writers  doubt  if  the  stream  is  ever  more  allur- 
ing than  in  the  broadened  channel  known  as  Arrow  Lakes. 
The  fur-traders  looked  forward  to  reaching  these  placid 
waters  principally  perhaps  because  they  were  glad  to 
escape  from  the  rushing  waters  further  upstream  and  to 
reach  the  transparent  depths  of  this  serpentine  waterway 
where  canoeing  was  easy ;  but  they,  like  the  modern  tour- 
ists, must  have  been  delighted  with  what  they  saw.  In- 
deed they  were,  and  many  a  journal  note  and  diary 
paragraph  of  the  long  ago  pays  eloquent  tribute  to  the 
beauties  of  this  region. 


216  Sunset  Canada 


The  individuality  of  the  Cokimbia  may  not  be  most 
marked  at  this  point,  there  are  other  rivers  that  flow  into 
British  Cohimbia  lakes  and  then  on  beyond  and  it  seems 
more  natural  to  think  of  the  Columbia  as  a  foaming  and 
rushing  dash  among  stones  between  which  salmon  are 
attempting  to  force  their  way  to  a  spawning  ground ;  but 
after  one  has  encountered  the  same  stream  elsewhere  and 
witnessed  it  in  livelier  antics,  he  is  g'  d  that  he  first  saw 
it  at  Arrow  Lakes.  Let  the  Mackenzie  flow  through  cold 
deserts  to  the  Arctic,  the  Fraser  and  Skeena  dart  between 
precipices  and  bound  their  waters  back  and  forth  as  if  in 
a  game  of  battlecock  and  shuttledore,  the  Columbia  is  best 
remembered  for  its  almost  threatening  grandeur,  as  if 
too  wonderful  to  endure,  its  ultramarine  depths  that  like 
a  coil  of  wire  wriggle  themselves  through  the  distant  land- 
scape as  one  looks  down  from  the  heights  and  obtains 
his  first  glance  from  a  railway  carriage.  If  the  view  were 
but  a  passing  glance,  it  would  be  ample  compensation  for 
the  inconvenience  in  arranging  the  itinerary,  but  instead 
of  a  flash  and  disappearance  it  is  a  matter  of  hours.  The 
same  wonderful  picture  is  at  one's  left  hand  until  the 
train  has  made  a  cautious  descent  along  the  shelf -slope 
that  seems  so  beset  with  perils.  The  brakes  are  ap- 
plied and  one  seems  to  be  tobogganing  to  the  valley. 
Where  a  huge  rock  protrudes  from  the  cliff  with  no  verti- 
cal support  the  tracks  curve  around  a  blasted  shelf  and 
for  a  moment  there  is  the  impression  of  passing  through 
a  deep  rock  gorge,  but  soon  the  rails  run  toward  the  rim 
of  the  precipice  again.  One  looks  from  the  car  window 
and  fails  to  see  them,  however,  and  all  seems  far,  far 
below  —  the  deep  blue  of  the  water  and  the  tops  of  pine 
trees,  which  pierce  their  roots  into  crevasses  in  the  wall 
of  rock. 


*'  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  "  217 

At  the  foot  of  the  slide  is  West  Robson,  point  of  de- 
parture for  the  lake  ride,  which  is  taken  when  returning 
to  the  North  and  the  main  line,  Castlegar,  a  junction 
where  a  branch  line  runs  along  the  Columbia  for  thirty 
miles  to  Rossland,  a  town  of  mines  of  fabulous  wealth, 
and  Trail,  where  there  is  a  large  smelter.  Beyond 
Castlegar  the  line  runs  along  the  banks  of  the  tempestu- 
ous Kootenay  River  and  beside  Bonnington  Falls,  one  of 
the  most  picturesque  cataracts  in  the  entire  Columbia  sys- 
tem, where  the  waters  are  harnessed  to  provide  light 
and  power  for  various  municipal  and  commercial  enter- 
prises. Near  here  the  Kootenay  joins  the  Columbia  in 
its  rush  toward  the  ocean. 

The  oft-quoted  trainman  passed  me  again.  This 
time :  "  I  guess  folks  don't  have  to  go  to  Europe  to 
see  scenery,  eh?  I've  had  them  on  this  train  as  has 
been  all  over  the  world  and  they  say  there  ain't  nothing  in 
the  Alps  (pronounced  Allups)  to  beat  this." 

I  nodded  approval  of  this  sentiment  and  closed  one  of 
the  days  that  I  shall  remember  long  among  many  days  of 
travel,  by  arriving  at  the  city  of  Nelson,  which  prides  it- 
self upon  being  "  the  most  important  city  in  the  interior 
of  the  province." 

Nelson  is  charmingly  situated  on  a  commanding  emi- 
nence overlooking  the  broadening  Kootenay.  If  the 
river  has  not  already  become  the  lake  of  the  same  name 
at  this  point  it  seems  to  be  about  two  miles  to  the  opposite 
bank  which  is  also  flanked  by  high  mountains.  One 
climbs  a  hill  from  the  wharf  or  station  to  the  hotel, 
further  up  the  hill  if  he  go  to  the  business  section,  still 
further  if  he  venture  into  the  suburbs,  and  finally,  if 
he  continue  to  climb,  he  is  ascending  that  wonderful 
mountain  where  is  located  the  Silver  King  mine  from 


218  Sunset  Canada 


which  over  $10,000,000  of  treasure  has  been  taken  and 
to  which  Nelson  owes  its  existence.  Manifold  reasons 
why  a  city  should  be  situated  at  this  point  now  exist  and 
are  plainly  apparent,  it  is  at  the  convergence  of  lake  sys- 
tems and  it  is  claimed  that  over  twenty-five  million  dol- 
lars' worth  of  ore  has  been  taken  from  the  district  which 
would  have  caused  some  center  of  population  to  arise  in 
the  district;  but  the  early  days  of  the  Silver  King  decided 
the  location  of  this  center.  Nelson  seems  to  be  but  a 
growth  of  yesterday,  yet  in  general  physical  characteris- 
tics it  has  much  that  would  make  favourable  compari- 
son to  many  older  municipalities.  Also,  it  has  much  that 
long  ago  should  have  made  it  a  favourite  rendezvous  of 
British  Columbia  tourists.  "  Perhaps  we've  been  too 
busy  looking  after  other  things  to  think  of  visitors," 
explained  one  man  of  Nelson ;  "  we  know  that  the  scenery 
will  be  here  after  we  have  taken  out  the  ore." 

But  the  people  of  Nelson  delight  in  quoting:  "God 
made  Switzerland  and  then  He  made  British  Columbia," 
they  like  to  compare  the  location  of  their  city  to  Lucerne, 
to  think  of  the  Alps  as  being  inferior  to  the  Selkirks, 
which  are  the  dominant  feature  of  the  Kootenay  land- 
scape. "  We  have  the  climate  of  Italy  and  the  verdure  of 
the  Emerald  Isle "  is  another  favourite  claim.  These 
manifold  attractions,  they  believe,  will  ultimately  bring 
the  tourist  hordes  in  this  direction,  because  Nelson  has 
command  of  seven  water  and  rail  routes  of  entrance  and 
departure,  already  it  has  land  and  marine  liveries,  out- 
fitting stores  and  hotels;  it  is  the  natural  point  of  depart- 
ure for  excursions  to  many  mountains,  lakes  and  rivers. 
For  the  present,  however,  nobody  seems  to  have  much 
time  to  spend  upon  the  development  of  this  tourists' 
Happy  Hunting  Ground.     Guides  may  be  obtained  in 


''  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  "  219 

Nelson  and  all  equipment  for  the  grand  tour  afield ;  those 
who  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  opportunities  offered 
may  do  so,  those  who  require  further  encouragement  must 
wait.  At  the  present  time  there  is  very  little  in  Nelson 
itself  to  attract  or  hold  the  tourist's  attenion.  The  entire 
city  thought  seems  to  be  upon  mining  and  mining  pros- 
pects. It  is  reflected  in  the  newspapers,  as  editors  usually 
find  out  what  their  readers  want  and  then  give  it  to  them. 
Thus,  whole  pages  of  a  Nelson  newspaper  are  given  over 
to  comment  upon  ore,  metal  and  mining  matters  that 
would  be  bewildering  to  the  average  community,  on  the 
prairie  for  instance,  where  the  principal  topic  is  wheat,  or 
to  maritime  peoples  where  similar  space  is  devoted  to 
boating  and  fishing.  Columns  and  columns  are  printed 
that  relate  to  rather  technical  reports  of  ore  deposits  and 
geological  formations.  Presumably,  people  want  to  know 
anything  and  everything  in  regard  to  the  principal  source 
of  wealth  of  the  district.  Here,  as  in  other  mining  dis- 
tricts, agriculture  will  follow  when  the  mines  have  con- 
tributed their  treasure  and  when  the  forests  have  been 
leveled. 

The  great  lure  of  hunters  in  the  Kootenay  district  is 
the  mountain  goat,  and  while  he  seems  to  be  almost  as 
isolated  and  rare  as  the  musk-ox  and  must  be  sought  for 
in  regions  where  he  is  known  to  live,  this  country,  in- 
cluding all  the  peaks  northward  beyond  the  main  line  of 
the  railroad,  is  one  of  his  favourite  abiding  places. 
Every  man  of  Nelson  who  makes  any  pretentions  to 
being  a  hunter  has  at  least  one  trophy  of  a  successful  shot. 
Few  who  come  here  and  are  properly  equipped  and 
guided  into  the  mountain  fastnesses  on  this  errand  will 
be  disappointed.  The  splendid  snow-white  animal  which 
seems  to  be  so  rare,  is  in  reality  plentiful  if  one  takes  the 


220  Sunset  Canada 


time,  patience  and  energy  to  follow  him  to  his  natural 
home  among  the  snowdrifts  and  steep  crags  of  the 
mountain  summits.  Flocks  of  these  coveted  creatures, 
including  a  dozen  or  more,  are  frequently  encountered  not 
far  from  Nelson;  but  always  after  strenuous  climbing 
and  scrambling  along  difficult  trails  or  on  mountains  that 
have  no  trails. 

The  book  classic  of  Nelson  is  Hornaday's  Camp-Fires 
in  the  Canadian  Rockies.  Fishing  is  excellent  in  the 
entire  neighbourhood,  beginning  at  the  piers  in  front  of 
the  city  and  extending  in  all  directions  over  many  lakes 
and  streams,  and  naturally  claims  many  devotees ;  but 
the  principal  thought  of  the  amateur  sportsman  is  the 
bagging  of  mountain  goat.  Hornaday's  very  chatty  and 
informing  volume,  which  relates  primarily  to  the  sub- 
ject, the  experiences  of  a  naturalist  and  animal  lover  on 
the  trail  of  this  animal,  finds  its  place  on  library  tables, 
office  desks  and  in  lounging-rooms  of  Nelson  residences, 
where  the  latest  novels  may  be  unheard  of  and  where 
these  experiences  in  goatland  form  a  never-failing  topic 
of  conversation.  In  reality,  the  mountain  goat  is  a  re- 
markable animal  and  provides  as  good  hunting  as  may 
be  found  on  this  continent.  "  In  its  physical  aspects," 
says  Hornaday  in  this  epic  volume,  "  the  mountain  goat 
is  both  striking  and  peculiar.  In  September  it  is  bril- 
liantly white,  and  its  coat  is  as  immaculate  as  a  new  fur 
coat  fresh  from  the  hands  of  the  furrier.  From  nose  to 
tail  it  is  newly  combed  and  without  spot  or  stain.  It 
seems  as  white  as  newly  fallen  snow,  but  in  direct  com- 
parison with  snow  there  is  a  faint  cream-like  tint.  It  is 
the  only  wild  hoofed  animal  in  the  world  (s.  f.  a.  k.) 
which  is  pure  white  all  the  year  around ;  for  in  spring  and 
summer  the  white  mountain  sheep  stains  his  coat  very 


"  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  **  221 

badly.  The  pelage  of  a  mountain  goat  is  the  finest  and 
softest  and  also  the  warmest  to  be  found  on  any  North 
American  hoofed  animal  except  the  musk-ox.  In  Sep- 
tember the  rain  coat  is  not  fully  developed,  and  the  fine 
pelage  which  covers  the  sides  is  almost  as  soft  as  down. 
As  winter  approaches,  the  fine  hair  of  the  undercoat  seems 
to  stop  growing,  but  the  coarser  and  straighter  hair  of  the 
raincoat  keeps  on  until  it  has  attained  such  luxuriant 
length  that  the  animal  takes  on  a  shaggy  appearance. 
Late  in  November  this  reaches  its  full  length.  Even  in 
September  the  beard  and  knee  breeches  are  of  good  length, 
and  these,  with  the  queerly  rounded  crests,  on  the  shoul- 
ders and  on  the  hind-quarters,  contain  the  only  hair  of 
the  whole  coat  that  is  coarse  and  harsh.  The  goat  is 
very  stockily  built  —  for  stability  and  strength  rather 
than  for  agility  and  speed.  The  long  spinal  processes  of 
his  dorsal  vertebrae  give  him  a  hump  somewhat  like  that 
of  a  bison;  and,  like  a  bison,  he  carries  his  head  low, 
and  has  short,  thick  legs,  terminating  in  big  hoofs.  His 
body  is  big  and  full  and  his  sides  stick  out  with  plenty. 
He  can  carry  his  head  above  the  line  of  his  neck  and 
shoulders,  but  he  seldom  does  so  save  when  frightened 
or  when  looking  up.  His  horns  are  jet  black,  round,  very 
smooth  for  the  terminal  half  and  sharp  as  skewers. 
When  the  goat  fights,  he  gets  close  up  to  his  assailant's 
fore-quarters,  and  with  a  powerful  thrust  diagonally  up- 
ward punctures  his  enemy's  abdomen.  In  attacking,  the 
movements  of  the  goat  are  exceedingly  jerky  and  spas- 
modic, advancing  and  whirling  away  again  with  the 
quick  jumps  of  the  modern  prizefighter.  The  horns  are 
not  long,  usually  ranging  in  length  from  nine  to  eleven 
inches  by  five  and  three-fourths  inches  in  basal  circumfer- 
ence.    The  longest  pair  on  record  is  owned  by  Mr.  Clive 


222  Sunset  Canada 


Phillips-Wolley  of  Victoria,  B.  C,  and  its  length  is  eleven 
and  one-half  inches." 

James  McGregor,  a  photographer  of  Nelson,  last  year 
shot  what  his  guide,  George  Sarver,  has  always  called 
"  Big  Billy  "  and  which  comes  close  to  being  a  "  record  " 
goat  by  actual  measurements,  although  several  larger  ones 
have  been  "  reported  "  at  various  times.  "  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  tell  what  his  live  weight  was,"  said  McGregor  as 
he  pointed  to  the  big  skin  spread  out  on  the  floor  of  his 
studio.  "  We  didn't  have  scales  up  there  where  we  got 
him  and  it  was  too  much  to  try  to  pack  his  carcass  down 
the  mountain.  His  horns  are  ten  and  a  half  inches  long, 
over  an  inch  shorter  than  Hornaday  says  is  the  record ; 
but  I  am  certain  that  he  weighed  over  three  hundred 
pounds.  It  was  pretty  stiff  climbing  to  get  up  to  where 
we  found  him.  We  were  up  to  our  necks  in  snow  several 
times  during  the  day  and  it  was  June ;  but  that's  hunting ! 

*  Big  Billy  '  was  worth  it.  He  was  just  under  eight  feet 
long  from  nose  to  tip  of  tail  and,  as  you  see,  there  is  a 
coat  eight  inches  long  at  the  back.  I  didn't  think  he  was 
a  goat  at  all,  when  I  first  saw  him,  although  I  have  come 
upon  a  good  many  of  them  in  my  time ;  but  Sarver  asked : 

*  Did  you  ever  see  horns  like  those  on  any  other  animal?  ' 
So  I  crept  to  a  ledge  and  landed  him." 

Beautiful  blankets  and  rugs  were  formerly  made  from 
the  wool  of  these  goats  by  the  Indian  women,  and  perhaps 
they  are  still  woven,  but  the  fine  specimens  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  Provincial  Museum  at  Victoria  were  not 
apparently  of  recent  manufacture.  The  process  is  thus 
described  by  the  Guide  to  the  Anthropological  Collection : 

"  The  dried  skins  of  native  white-haired  dogs,  or  of  the 
mountain  goat  being  ready,  a  quantity  of  burnt  diato- 
maceous  earth  is  crumbled  over  the  woolly  hair  and  beaten 


"  BIG  BILLY,"  THE  "  RECORD  "  MOUNTAIN  GOAT. 


*'  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  **  223 

in  with  sword-shaped  sticks  of  maple,  so  as  to  absorb  the 
grease  and  allow  the  threads  of  wool  to  bind  well  during 
spinning.  The  wool  is  then  removed  with  knives,  or 
pulled  out  after  moistening  the  skins  and  '  sweating ' 
them  to  loosen  the  roots.  It  is  now  made  up  into  loose 
threads,  by  rolling  either  on  the  actual  thigh  or  an  arti- 
ficial one,  covered  with  sheeting.  Two  baskets  are  filled 
with  the  thread,  and  from  each  is  taken  an  end  to  be 
twisted  together  by  means  of  large  spinning  wheels,  which 
seem  to  have  invariably  been  made  of  the  large  leaved 
maple,  many  of  them  well  carved  with  designs  of  the  pro- 
tecting spirit  of  the  owner.  To  get  sufficient  tension  the 
combined  threads  before  being  attached  to  the  spinning 
apparatus,  are  passed  over  a  beam  or  through  a  perforated 
stone  or  carved  bird,  fastened  to  the  end  of  the  loom." 

There  are  many  other  kinds  of  game  in  the  Kootenay 
country,  mountain  sheep,  bears  (black  and  grizzly),  mar- 
ten, wolverine,  land  otter  and  porcupine  being  among 
those  most  prized  by  sportsmen. 

Nelson  people  appreciate  and  take  advantage  of  their 
favourable  opportunities  for  water  sports.  There  are 
many  motor  boats,  canoes  and  pleasure  craft  of  various 
description,  which  seem  to  dot  the  water  from  early 
morning  until  far  into  the  evening.  Racing  shells  are 
usually  in  practice  at  sunset  and  frequent  regattas  add 
competitive  interest.  Distance  craft  go  as  far  as  Bon- 
ner's Ferry,  Idaho,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  miles,  but  as  the  water  area  of  Nelson's  neighbour- 
hood is  over  two  hundred  square  miles  even  this  is  not 
counted  a  great  distance. 

It  is  the  rule  for  steamers  to  start  down  Kootenay  Lake 
at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  so  it  is  the  custom  for 
passengers  to  go  aboard  the  night  before,  also  making 


224  Sunset  Canada 


it  convenient  for  those  who  arrive  by  the  night  train 
and  do  not  plan  to  spend  more  than  one  night  at  Nelson. 
One  should  beware  not  to  oversleep,  however,  and  when 
the  wheels  of  the  steamer  begin  to  turn  shortly  after 
sunrise,  he  will  miss  much  on  a  route  that  provides  a  de- 
lightful panorama  for  each  moment  of  the  long  trip  to 
Kootenay  Landing  if  he  be  not  above  deck.  As  on  Okan- 
agan  Lake,  the  steamer  crosses  from  one  side  of  the  lake 
to  the  other  throughout  the  half -day's  voyage.  Fruit- 
raising  is  becoming  one  of  the  principal  industries  and 
capital  orchards  are  rapidly  taking  the  places  of  the  pine 
forests  along  the  benches  of  the  sloping  banks,  giving  rise 
to  many  small  towns  and  villages,  each  of  which  is 
visited  by  the  steamer  on  "  Flag  Day,"  which  as  on  Okan- 
agan  appears  to  be  every  day.  The  pioneer  fruit-grower 
of  the  Kootenay  is  said  to  have  been  a  Scotchman  who 
observed  that  mining  would  "  peter  out  "  in  time,  so  he 
decided  to  experiment  with  an  orchard.  A  rancher  of 
the  district  had  grown  fruit  in  an  earlier  day  but  his  suc- 
cess had  been  forgotten  by  those  who  had  followed  the 
"  boom."  It  was  only  about  twenty-five  years  ago  that 
this  experiment  was  made,  but  to-day  Kootenay  fruit  is 
shipped  in  large  quantities  to  Australia  and  England. 
The  district  has  not  been  developed  as  Okanagan  has  been, 
but  it  undoubtedly  has  a  future.  Before  "  development  " 
has  taken  place,  however,  the  district  may  be  fully  as 
interesting  to  the  tourist  as  it  is  likely  to  be  afterwards, 
when  cities  take  the  places  of  timberland  and  those  thinly 
settled  hamlets  where  only  an  occasional  bungalow  is  seen 
among  the  trees. 

As  the  steamer  leaves  Nelson  it  plunges  immediately 
into  the  widening  lake  which  has  the  lofty  and  eternally 
snow-covered    Selkirks    for    its    background.     It    soon 


*'  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes ''  225 

crosses  to  Balfour  where  the  Canadian  Pacific  railway 
has  constructed  a  mammoth  hotel  "  with  the  water  at 
the  front  door  and  the  mountains  at  the  rear."  At  sev- 
eral other  stopping-places  there  are  smaller  hotels  which 
cater  to  local  vacationists,  rather  than  the  *'  foreign " 
tourists,  but  any  one  of  which  is  an  ideal  location,  ofifer- 
ing  many  varieties  of  sport  for  the  holiday-maker. 

The  steamer's  passenger  list  is  made  up  of  about  equal 
numbers  of  excursionists,  miners  and  prospectors,  because 
the  latter  realize  that  there  remains  much  treasure  in 
these  hills  only  "  waiting  to  be  found."  They  leave  us 
at  the  crude  little  landing-stages  and  hike  away  up  the 
canyons  and  valleys  or  up  the  steep  mountains  into  the 
wilderness  —  assuredly  the  most  optimistic  of  men, 
spurred  on  by  great  ambition  and  by  the  recollection  that 
*'  what  has  happened  in  Nelson  may  happen  again  in  the 
vicinity."  As  we  sat  on  deck  and  the  steamer  wheeled 
back  into  deeper  water,  after  dropping  off  these  fortune- 
hunters,  many  of  whom  were  expecting  to  be  gone  many 
weeks  and  who  were  bent  under  heavy  packs  of  provisions 
and  prospecting  implements,  we  waved  them  the  "  good 
luck  "  which  they  seemed  to  deserve.  It  was  like  cruis- 
ing along  the  coasts  of  Africa  and  dropping  off  ship- 
mates who  were  starting  for  the  interior  to  become  mis- 
sionaries, ivory-hunters  or  searchers  for  rubber.  But 
there  was  this  difference :  instead  of  the  malarial  swamps 
of  the  tropics,  these  men  of  Kootenay  were  going  into 
the  crisp,  pine-perfumed  and  life-giving  air  of  the  moun- 
tains. One  almost  envied  them  the  experience,  with  no 
thought  of  their  future  fortune. 

I  heard  much  interesting  conversation  on  the  deck  of 
this  steamer.  For  example,  one  veteran  said  that  he 
never  had  seen  a  railroad.     He  went  overland  to  Nelson 


226  Sunset  Canada 


in  the  early  days,  and  he  had  been  in  the  bush  near 
where  he  embarked  since  the  railroads  entered  the  city 
by  the  Silver  King.  He  declared  there  were  many  others 
like  him  in  these  mountains.  "  They've  been  looking  for 
gold  all  this  time,"  he  said.  "Discouraged?  Never! 
Perhaps  you  feel  a  little  down  in  the  mouth  some  days, 
but  you  go  along  and  perhaps  find  '  colour.'  That's 
enough  encouragement  to  keep  you  going  another  year; 
and  after  you  have  been  back  there  for  a  couple  of  years 
you  don't  care  to  come  out  until  you  have  found  what 
you  are  looking  for." 

There  were  three  men  in  a  group,  one  old  and  the 
others  young.  The  old  man  had  always  claimed  and  still 
maintained  that  he  was  with  a  group  of  prospectors  many 
years  ago  when  they  located  a  fine  ledge  of  copper  about 
twenty  miles  inland  from  a  point  on  the  lake  which  he 
thought  he  could  remember.  None  of  the  original  party 
had  money  enough  to  "  work  "  the  find  and  they  failed  to 
interest  others.  The  rest  of  the  party  were  dead,  so  the 
young  men  were  taking  the  old  man  to  try  to  locate  or  re- 
locate the  ledge.  The  steamer  was  stopped  when  the  old 
man  pointed  to  a  canyon,  they  had  brought  along  a  row- 
boat,  so  they  entered  it  and  were  started  toward  the  shore 
as  our  stern-wheeler  took  us  away  from  them  toward  the 
next  "  regular  stop." 

The  end  of  the  lake  at  Kootenay  Landing  does  not 
appear  to  be  the  end,  for  the  port  consists  of  a  huge  trestle 
of  logs  that  extends  into  deep  water  and  the  swamp  lands 
abound  in  channels  and  estuaries  that  are  usually  full 
from  melted  snows  in  the  neighbouring  mountains. 
From  this  point  all  sorts  of  tours  are  available  to  the 
traveler.  He  may  have  planned  to  make  connections 
over  the  Crow's  Nest  into  Alberta  or  the  United  States, 


''  The  Tour  of  the  Lakes  "  227 

or,  returning  to  Balfour,  he  may  continue  the  lake  tour 
to  Kaslo  and  Lardo,  visit  the  beautiful  country  around 
Windermere  Lake  and  pass  among  the  Selkirks  and 
Rockies,  beside  the  Columbia  and  Kootenay  rivers,  to 
Golden  on  the  main  line.  Another  point  of  interest  to 
many  is  Fernie,  where  there  are  huge  coal  mines  and 
majestic  mountains,  which  as  at  Nelson  and  all  inter- 
mediate stations,  beckon  to  the  hunter  of  big  game.  Or, 
unwilling  to  miss  even  so  much  of  the  main  line  scenery 
and  the  celebrated  resorts  among  the  Selkirks  as  would 
be  necessitated  by  the  return  via  Golden,  one  may  slightly 
retrace  the  route  to  Nelson  and  West  Robson  and  there 
take  the  steamer  that  will  bring  him  into  direct  connec- 
tions for  Revelstoke,  which  will  include  the  never-to-be 
forgotten  cruise  on  the  Arrow  Lakes,  of  which  he  ob- 
tained a  view  when  sliding  along  the  ledge  outlook  of  the 
Kettle  Valley  route. 

While  in  this  Kootenay  country  one  should  not  fail 
to  give  at  least  a  passing  thought  to  David  Thompson,  the 
discoverer  of  the  Columbia  River,  who  often  traveled 
over  these  waters  more  than  a  century  ago,  established 
Fort  Kootenay,  one  of  the  first  trading  posts  in  the  dis- 
trict, and  who  has  been  called  "  The  greatest  geographer 
of  his  day  in  British  Columbia."  He  made  several  far- 
reaching  and  daring  journeys  into  the  unknown  and  left 
forty-five  volumes  of  manuscript  which  did  much  to 
acquaint  the  world  with  the  remarkable  country,  which 
was  practically  unknown  until  he  passed  this  way.  The 
traveler,  however,  has  little  thought  of  history  as  he 
passes  through  the  Selkirks  and  the  lakes  at  their  bases, 
and  remembrance  of  those  fur-hunters  who  paced  what 
was  a  treacherous  wilderness  may  escape  his  mind.  More 
interesting  seems  to  be  the  fact  that  these  beauties  of  na- 


228  Sunset  Canada 


ture  have  been  known  for  over  a  hundred  years  and  yet 
the  region  remains  terra  incognita  to  the  majority  of 
tourists  who  visit  this  corner  of  the  world. 

The  Arrow  Lakes  cruise  is  the  cHmax  of  this  entire 
side-trip  from  the  main  Hne.  It  begins  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  just  as  the  summer  sun  is  lighting  the  east- 
ern peaks,  but  one  may  go  aboard  the  night  before  as  at 
Nelson  and  rise  as  early  as  he  pleases.  In  a  measure, 
the  general  view  may  be  a  repetition  of  what  has  been 
seen  among  the  Selkirks  on  Kootenay  Lake;  but  it  is 
wilder,  more  rugged  and  perhaps  more  enchanting  by 
reason  of  the  narrower  channel  and  a  closer  intimacy 
with  what  lies  or  seems  to  lie  just  beyond  the  water's 
edge.  During  several  years  I  have  followed  many  water- 
ways for  extended  or  brief  periods  and  after  long  jour- 
neys on  the  Yangtze,  Mississippi,  Nile,  shorter  ones  on 
the  Rhine,  Hudson  and  other  waterways  that  have 
long  prompted  the  admiration  of  travelers,  it  seems 
as  I  look  back  over  rather  extensive  wanderings  that  I 
have  formed  a  rather  close  acquaintance  with  rivers. 
With  vivid  memories  of  all  of  them,  however,  I  have  not 
the  least  hesitancy  in  declaring  that  I  encountered  more 
to  delight  the  eye  in  ten  hours  on  this  body  of  water  than 
in  several  days  on  any  of  the  others.  The  Arrow  Lakes 
trip  is  superb  and  supreme  among  all  one-day  cruises  that 
the  continent  has  to  offer ;  and  this  is  written  with  a  full 
knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  statement  will  be  challenged 
by  people  who  vote  in  favour  of  some  other  excursion  in 
the  West,  the  Middle  West  or  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 
Thus  it  becomes  a  matter  of  opinion ;  but  one  who  favours 
another  locality  will  doubtless  give  it  second  place.  And 
even  this,  proves  it  to  be  one  of  the  beauty  spots  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  XV 

"what    would    JESUS    DO?" 

When  I  was  in  Creston,  just  below  the  Kootenay 
Lakes,  a  man  told  me  that  a  "  hayseed  "  blew  into  town 
one  day,  visited  a  real  estate  dealer  and  said  that  he  would 
like  to  take  a  look  over  the  Kootenay  Valley  land.  The 
dealer  paid  very  little  attention  to  him,  because,  as  he 
afterwards  related,  he  could  not  see  any  "  ready  money  " 
in  the  man's  appearance. 

"About  what  kind  of  property  —  how  much  would 
you  invest  here,  if  you  liked  what  you  saw?  "  he  asked  at 
length. 

"  Oh,  if  I  liked  the  property,  anything  from  $10,000 
up  to  $100,000." 

"  You're  Peter  Veregin !  "  gasped  the  dealer,  and  the 
plainly  dressed  man,  who  had  a  scrubby  beard  over  his 
face  and  wore  a  big  slouch  hat,  nodded. 

When  I  was  in  Vancouver,  a  man  high  in  officialdom 
said  to  me :  "  I  consider  Peter  Veregin  and  his  crowd 
the  most  remarkable  human  exhibit  that  we  have  in  Brit- 
ish Columbia.  What  they  have  accomplished  is  astound- 
ing to  an  impartial  and  unprejudiced  observer." 

At  Nelson  a  business  man  told  me  that  he  believed 
Peter  Veregin  and  his  "  Dooks  " —  as  they  are  popularly 
known  in  the  region  —  were  about  a  half-century  ahead 
of  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  perhaps  more  than  that,  in 
view  of  the  European  war. 


230  Sunset  Canada 

On  a  train  in  the  southern  part  of  the  province  a  chance 
acquaintance  in  a  smoking  compartment  told  me  that  he 
knew  the  Doukhobors  well  because  he  had  many  business 
transactions  with  them  and  I  asked  him  what  he  thought 
of  them.  "  When  people  work,  are  healthy,  have  no  de- 
sire to  become  rich  —  and  sing,  you  may  rest  assured 
that  they  are  sound  morally  and  of  the  right  sort,"  he 
explained. 

I  recalled  that  Leo  Tolstoi  wrote :  "  Notwithstanding 
the  insignificance,  illiterateness  and  obscurity  of  the 
Doukhobors,  we  cannot  but  see  the  vast  importance  of 
that  which  is  taking  place  among  them.  Christ's  disciples 
were  just  such  insignificant,  unrefined,  unknown  people, 
and  other  than  such  the  followers  of  Christ  cannot  be. 
Among  the  Doukhobors,  or  rather  '  Christians  of  the 
Universal  Brotherhood '  as  they  now  call  themselves, 
nothing  new  is  taking  place,  but  merely  the  germinating 
of  that  seed  which  was  sown  by  Christ  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ago;  the  resurrection  of  Christ  himself.  .  .  . 
It  may  be,  though  I  doubt  it,  that  the  movement  of  the 
Christian  Universal  Brotherhood  w^ill  also  be  stamped  out, 
especially  if  society  itself  does  not  understand  the  im- 
portance of  what  is  taking  place  and  does  not  render 
brotherly  aid;  but  that  which  this  movement  represents, 
that  which  has  been  expressed  in  it,  will  certainly  not 
die,  cannot  die,  and  sooner  or  later  will  burst  forth  into 
the  light,  will  destroy  all  that  is  now  crushing  it,  and  will 
overcome  the  w^orld." 

I  read  somewhere  that  the  Doukhobors  *'  are  no  more 
fanatical  than  Russian  peasants  who  remained  in  their 
own  country."  Of  some  of  these  the  Raskolniks  for 
example,  Merejkow^ski  writes :  "  Seven  thousand  years 
after  the  creation  of  the  world,  said  they,  the  second 


"  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  231 

coming  of  Christ  will  take  place ;  and  should  it  not  hap- 
pen, we  will  burn  the  gospels  themselves ;  as  for  the  other 
books,  it  is  not  worth  believing  them.  And  they  left 
their  houses,  lands,  goods  and  cattle  and  every  night  went 
out  into  the  fields  and  woods,  put  on  clean  shirts  and 
shrouds,  laid  themselves  in  coffins  hollowed  out  of  tree 
trunks,  and  saying  Mass,  waited  expecting  at  every  mo- 
ment the  trumpet  call  of  the  Judgment.  Such  was  their 
idea  of  '  Meeting  Christ.'  " 

A  man  at  Nelson  told  me  of  an  alleged  case  in  which 
a  Doukhobor  boy  was  accidentally  struck  in  the  face  by 
an  ax.  His  father  speedily  took  him  to  a  physician  who 
removed  an  eye  and  dressed  the  W'Ound.  The  physician 
presented  his  bill,  but  the  community  would  not  pay  it, 
because  they  said  the  man  had  sought  the  services  of  the 
physician  without  permission;  he  had  been  expelled  for 
this  action  and  would  not  be  received  again  until  he 
repented. 

I  heard  rumours  that  the  Dominion  of  Canada  had 
recently  made  an  official  examination  into  the  affairs  of 
the  community  and  all  who  mentioned  the  subject  were 
insinuating  that  affairs  had  reached  a  pass  where  an 
official  inquiry  was  a  good  thing.  Not  one  of  them  re- 
lated the  fact,  which  I  afterwards  learned,  that  the  official 
report  was  to  effect  that  not  one  single  case  of  immor- 
ality had  been  discovered  and  that  the  greater  part  of  the 
report  was  given  to  rather  extravagant  praise  of  what  the 
investigator  had  seen. 

I  glanced  into  a  volume  about  Canada  written  by  an 
Englishman  who  mentioned  the  Doukhobors  as  "  deeply 
religious,  but  with  a  blind,  mystic,  superstitious  religion, 
which  is  impervious  to  reason.  They  live  in  daily  ex- 
pectation of  the  Messiah."     Continuing,  he  said  that 


'1         w — 

/ 

232  Sunset  Canada 

when  Lord  Minto  was  governor  general  of  Canada  he 
made  a  horseback  tour  from  Edmonton  by  way  of  Bat- 
tleford  to  Saskatoon.  "  The  Doukhobors  hearing  of  the 
coming  of  a  great  man,  were  with  difficulty  restrained 
from  greeting  Lord  Minto  as  divine." 

I  recalled  that  before  coming  to  Canada  my  impression 
of  the  Doukhobors  had  been  gained  chiefly  from  sensa- 
tion-loving newspapers  in  the  United  States  that  gave 
much  space  to  the  Russian  peasants  some  years  ago  when 
it  was  reported  that  they  had  stripped  off  their  clothing 
and  started  out  on  the  prairie  "  to  meet  the  Messiah." 
My  idea  was  doubtless  the  general  opinion  of  American 
readers  who  swallowed  at  a  gulp  exactly  what  certain 
officials  wanted  them  to  swallow,  so  that  there  would  be 
no  publicity  given  to  the  reverse  side  of  the  picture  — 
exactly  why  the  Doukhobors  started  on  that  pilgrimage, 
a  page  of  history  that  is  no  credit  to  Canada. 

Everywhere  I  heard  something  about  the  Doukhobors 
when  I  was  in  British  Columbia;  and  what  I  heard  was 
very  confusing  and  shed  very  little  light  upon  the  truth. 
They  were  ignorant  Russian  fanatics,  I  was  told  on  one 
hand ;  on  the  other,  I  was  informed  that  they  were  proving 
the  sound  logic  on  which  their  religious  beliefs  were 
founded  by  enjoying  an  orgy  of  prosperity.  Neither 
was  true,  as  I  found  out  one  morning  when  I  arrived  at 
the  little  station  of  Brilliant  in  the  Valley  of  Consola- 
tion, which  is  their  headquarters.  On  the  platform  there 
was  some  confusion  for  a  couple  of  moments  because 
several  persons  were  departing  and  good-bys  were  being 
said;  but  when  the  train  drew  away  all  was  soon  quiet 
again.  The  little  crowd,  every  person  of  which  was 
dressed  in  Russian  peasant  costume,  the  women  with 
full  skirts,  bright-coloured  waists  and  white  handkcr- 


*'  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  '*  233 

chiefs  tied  over  their  heads  and  the  men  in  full  trousers 
and  Russian  blouses,  quickly  crossed  the  track  and  dis- 
persed in  various  directions.  From  the  people  I  had 
seen,  the  language  I  had  heard  spoken  and  the  ''  loneli- 
ness "  of  the  place  —  because  I  did  not  know  at  the  time 
that  every  one  —  men,  women  and  children  —  works  if 
he  dwell  in  a  Doukhobor  community  —  I  might  have 
fancied  that  I  had  alighted  at  a  small  station  somewhere 
along  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway.  I  knew  the  names 
of  a  few  of  the  persons  I  wanted  to  see,  but  I  waited  for 
the  station  agent,  who  was  busy,  to  ask  him  questions 
about  directions.  And,  as  I  waited,  as  I  glanced  across 
the  valley  of  the  rushing  Kootenay  River,  as  I  saw  the 
splendidly  tilled  fields  of  ripening  strawberries  and  other 
small  fruits  and  vegetables,  I  wondered  how  I  could  have 
considered  the  place  "  lonesome,"  even  for  a  moment 
after  the  train  departed.  It  is  the  "  Valley  of  Consola- 
tion " —  so  named  by  a  band  of  world-weary  pilgrims 
who  have  been  driven  from  one  side  of  the  earth  to  the 
other,  because  they  insist  upon  living  as  they  believe 
Jesus  Christ  would  want  them  to  live,  and  because  Chris- 
tian nations  among  whom  they  have  tried  to  dwell  in 
peace  have  insisted  upon  military  service  from  their 
boys  and  because  they  would  die  for  their  convictions, 
they  have  been  booted  about  the  earth,  grossly  libeled  and 
dismissed  from  consideration,  as  being  "  religious  fa- 
natics "  who  are  half  mad.  The  Valley  of  Consolation! 
It  was  not  that  when  they  arrived.  It  was  a  jungle  wil- 
derness most  uninviting  to  other  settlers.  But  it  quickly 
was  transformed  into  an  agricultural  haven,  for  the  soil 
responded  to  their  labours  and  it  became  the  valley  of 
consolation  in  fact  as  well  as  name,  for  here  the  Douk- 
hobors  found  a  peace  from  political  interference  that  they 


234  Sunset  Canada 


have  never  known  in  the  two  hundred  years  of  their 
existence. 

I  knocked  at  their  doors  that  morning,  received  a  wel- 
come and  stayed  with  them  until  the  evening  train.  I 
went  everywhere  and  I  asked  questions,  some  of  which 
may  have  seemed  impertinent;  but  I  wanted  to  know 
about  them,  even  if  I  never  told  any  one  else.  I  wanted 
to  know  if  I  had  been  duped  into  a  false  belief  by  the 
newspaper  stories  I  had  read  concerning  them,  so  in  the 
course  of  the  day  I  touched  upon  almost  every  con- 
ceivable subject  that  concerned  them  in  any  way  and  they 
not  only  answered  me  willingly,  but  convincingly,  and 
I  left  them  believing  that  they  are  the  most  conscientious 
band  of  Christians  I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life,  and  that 
Leo  Tolstoi,  the  man  from  Nelson  and  the  man  from 
Vancouver  were  right.  They  appear  to  have  success- 
fully solved  one  of  the  problems  that  has  tormented  the 
human  race  for  centuries;  they  know  perfect  happiness 
in  work  that  knows  no  strife  for  dollars  and  no  rivalry. 
They  are  the  only  Christians  I  have  ever  seen  vv^ho  take 
the  commandment  to  "  love  your  neighbour  as  you  love 
yourself  "  literally,  and  w^ho  practise  what  they  profess 
to  believe. 

As  to  their  "  ignorance  "  and  their  well-grounded  ob- 
jection to  too  much  education,  I  am  able  to  meet  this 
widely-circulated  libel  with  the  fact  that  the  man  who 
talked  to  me  more  than  any  of  the  others  is  a  graduate 
of  one  of  the  leading  universities  of  this  continent.  On 
this  point  he  said :  "  We  believe  that  there  are  too  many 
doctors,  lawyers,  dentists  —  and  book-keepers,  and 
purely  from  a  social  point  of  view  we  believe  that  not 
enough  men  are  causing  the  earth  to  produce  food,  so 
our  boys  are  encouraged  to  become  farmers.     And  we 


"  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  235 

reject  the  kind  of  education  that  is  received  in  public 
schools  for  other  reasons.  The  way  school  is  taught  to 
children  of  the  present  generation,  with  boy  scouting, 
rifle  practice  and  mihtary  drill,  we  consider  it  the  most 
pernicious  and  malicious  invention  of  this  age.  The 
manner  of  educatng  the  childish  mind  renounces  the 
teachings  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  brought  peace,  love  and 
equality  to  this  earth,  which  should  be  instrumental  in 
bringing  about  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Look  where  we 
may,  we  find  that  it  is  those  very  educated  men  who  are 
the  strongest  adversaries  of  the  realization  of  this  King- 
dom on  earth,  and  who  are  enslaving  the  plain,  working 
classes  of  the  people.  The  highly  educated  and  much 
read  capitalists  sit  tight  on  the  neck  of  the  common  people 
and  like  parasites  keep  draining  their  blood  in  the  most 
efficient  manner.  The  school  teaching  is  primarily  a  mat- 
ter of  easy  lucre,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  officials, 
lawyers,  doctors  and  all  manner  and  species  of  commer- 
cial buy  and  sell  men,  who  have  a  great  need  of  arithmetics 
and  rapid  reckoning  in  their  insatiable  greed  for  easy 
money  and  luxury.  All  these  ardent  advocates  of  the 
light  of  knowledge  are  striving  to  acquire  the  knowledge 
for  their  own  gain,  in  order  to  have  a  soft  time  of  it  with- 
out doing  anything  good  and  worth  while  and  of  any  real 
worth  in  all  their  lifetime  on  earth,  which  earth  they  have 
grabbed  up  all  over  the  surface.  We  reject  all  this,  and 
instead  of  it  we  consider  spiritual  regeneration.  School 
teaching  leads  in  precisely  the  opposite  direction,  disin- 
tegrating men  into  endless  grades  and  divsions,  vying 
with  each  other  for  greed  and  willing  to  shed  the  blood  of 
innocent  strange  men  in  warfare.  In  the  life  story  of 
Christ  we  find  nothing  about  His  being  of  scholarly  edu- 
cation.    He  never  enjoined  men  to  build  schools  and 


236  Sunset  Canada 


educate  children  so  as  to  divert  them  from  Nature. 
Take  the  Apostles  —  every  one  of  them  was  a  fisherman, 
or  plain,  common  people,  and  yet  the  glorious  record  of 
their  lives  has  come  down  to  us  in  distant  centuries." 

"  Then  you  do  not  believe  in  warfare  for  any  reason? 
I  read  the  other  day  that  Doukhobor  women  had  con- 
tributed $5,000  worth  of  strawberry  jam  to  the  wives  and 
families  of  soldiers  in  the  present  war,"  I  prompted. 

"  We  are  not  only  opposed  to  warfare  which  takes 
human  lives ;  we  do  not  believe  in  killing  anything.  We 
have  never  tasted  meat  of  any  kind  and  none  of  our  food 
is  cooked  in  animal  fat.  You  asked  me  if  there  was 
good  fishing  in  the  river  here;  I  imagine  that  fish  are 
plentiful  for  they  abound  in  this  region,  but  no  fish  has 
ever  been  killed  by  a  Doukhobor;  we  are  absolutely  op- 
posed to  killing  anything.  We  desire  peace  of  the  soul 
and  love,  fraternity  and  equality  for  everybody  on  earth. 
We  not  only  believe  that  men  should  not  kill  one  another ; 
but  many  of  our  number  have  suffered  death  for  this  be- 
lief in  Christian  countries.  They  cannot  make  us  fight; 
we  will  die  first,  just  as  our  fathers  did.  As  to  the 
strawberry  jam  of  which  you  speak,  that  was  not  a  war 
offering,  but  was  given  in  the  hope  that  it  might  possibly 
come  to  persons  who  needed  it  and  thus  relieve  suffering." 

"  But  in  case  of  universal  conscription  —  if  you  were 
forced  to  fight?  You  are  now  subjects  of  King 
George?  " 

"  Our  fathers  declined  to  fight  for  the  Czar  and  are 
we  cowards?  We  have  never  taken  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  King  George.  Our  King  is  in  Heaven,  and  we 
acknowledge  no  other.  We  are  all  brothers  on  this  earth. 
We  are  of  Russian  birth,  and  we  live  in  Canada;  but  we 
consider  ourselves   citizens   of   the  entire  world.     The 


"What  Would  Jesus  Do? "  237 

understanding  when  we  came  into  Canada  was  that  we 
would  not  engage  in  military  service  —  covered  by  the 
Canadian  Militia  Act,  and  it  has  never  been  required  of 
us.  Naturally,  we  shall  decline  to  serve,  come  what 
may." 

On  and  on  I  asked  questions  as  we  wandered  through 
some  of  the  fields  and  farms.  At  the  station  there  is 
only  the  canning  factory,  a  community  store  and  a  cen- 
tral office.  This  seemed  the  nucleus  of  the  town  which 
I  thought  might  be  in  process  of  development. 

"  No,  there  will  be  no  town  and  no  city,"  replied  my 
informant.  **  We  do  not  believe  in  cities,  because  there 
is  no  need  of  them.  It  is  convenient  to  have  the  office, 
the  community  store  and  the  canning  factory  in  a  cen- 
trally located  place  near  the  railway.  That  is  why  it 
may  appear  like  a  town  there.  No,  our  people  are  tillers 
of  the  soil  and  they  live  near  their  work." 

Doukhobor  dwellings  look  like  large  double  brick 
houses  at  Brilliant.  In  each  of  them  dwells  from  thirty 
to  forty  persons,  the  majority  of  whom  are  agricultural 
labourers.  One  housewife  attends  to  the  cooking,  an- 
other house-work,  and  the  remaining  women  are  employed 
at  the  canning  factory,  the  grist  mills,  they  make  cloth- 
ing, spin  flax  or  wool  and  weave  cloth.  The  labour 
seems  about  equal  among  them.  The  factory  worker 
comes  home  and  everything  is  done  for  her  and  her  fam- 
ily by  the  housekeeper  and  cook  as  if  they  were  in  a 
boarding-house,  and  she  has  no  duties  in  the  home.  The 
entire  group  in  one  house  eats  at  a  common  table  so  that 
the  same  meal  is  prepared  for  all. 

"  So  far  as  possible,"  continued  my  guide,  "  we  try  to 
ascertain  just  what  work  each  individual  prefers  to  do 
and  what  he  or  she  is  best  adapted  to  do,  when  there  is 


238  Sunset  Canada 

no  preference.  Some  of  the  boys  prefer  the  blacksmith 
shop,  some  work  around  our  irrigation  pumps,  or  in 
the  canning  factory,  while  the  majority,  of  course,  labour 
in  the  fields.  The  principal  thing  is  that  every  one 
works,  but  he  does  it  willingly,  gladly.  None  may  say 
that  another  shall  work  a  certain  number  of  hours  each 
day.  There  are  certain  labours  to  be  performed  and 
there  are  no  shirkers ;  but  when  a  man,  woman  or  child 
desires  to  quit  work  for  the  day,  he  does  so  and  goes 
home.  Nobody  works  on  Saturday  afternoon  or  Sun- 
day, however,  and  as  time  goes  on  —  well,  you  asked  me 
what  was  our  ultimate  aim  and  I  will  tell  you,  we  hope 
that  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be  unnecessary  for 
any  of  us  to  work  more  than  four  days  a  week,  at  least 
not  the  fatiguing  work  which  most  of  us  perform  at  the 
present  time." 

Every  penny  of  profit  from  every  Doukhobor  activity 
goes  to  a  common  fund.  There  is  no  money  in  circula- 
tion in  the  community,  for  there  is  no  need  of  any.  The 
cook  who  desires  a  sack  of  flour  or  a  bushel  of  potatoes, 
or  salt,  lettuce,  preserves  or  new  dishes  to  replace  those 
that  have  been  broken,  the  housewife  who  desires  furni- 
ture, bedspreads  or  soap,  and  the  office  clerk,  agriculturist 
or  factory  hand  who  desires  a  new  suit  of  clothing,  goes 
to  the  community  store,  makes  his  wants  known,  and  the 
desired  articles  are  handed  to  him.  The  communities  in 
Saskatchewan  province,  where  the  soil  is  better  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  cereals,  send  wheat  to  the  communities 
in  British  Columbia  who  return  fruit,  vegetables  and 
preserves.  The  returns  from  sales  of  products  not  re- 
quired for  the  use  of  any  of  the  communities,  are  placed 
in  the  common  fund  which  goes  toward  the  purchase  of 
new  land,  agricultural  implements,  live  stock,  seed,  im- 


*'  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  239 

--^— ^"-^  = 

provements  on  buildings,  extensions  of  irrigation  ditches, 
pumps  and  a  thousand  incidentals  that  go  to  the  success- 
ful operation  of  a  veritable  municipality  of  considerable 
extent.  The  exact  numbers  are  not  available,  partly- 
owing  to  the  Doukhobors  declining  (on  religious 
grounds)  to  keep  records  of  deaths  and  births;  but  my 
informant  at  Brilliant  estimated  the  present  number  at 
between  fourteen  and  sixteen  thousand.  They  own 
nearly  twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  in  British  Columbia 
and  have  extensive  holdings  in  Alberta  and  Saskatche- 
wan. Their  houses  are  models  of  neatness  —  again  on 
religious  grounds  as  much  as  anything  —  and  their 
bodies  are  clean,  because  every  house  is  equipped  with  a 
Russian  steam  bath,  in  which  every  individual  bathes  at 
least  once  a  week,  with  the  thought  that  the  body  is  or 
should  be  the  dwelling-place  for  Christ  on  earth  and  that 
it  must  be  kept  a  fit  temple  to  receive  Him.  Their  farms 
are  examples  to  the  farmers  of  neighbouring  towns. 
Everything  that  they  possess  seems  to  be  of  the  best  ma- 
terial, devoid  of  all  display  or  luxury  and  always  con- 
fining itself  to  what  would  usually  be  termed  the  necessi- 
ties. They  came  to  British  Columbia  in  19  lo  and  estab- 
lished themselves  in  the  "bush."  They  reached  more 
eastern  provinces  when  they  were  practically  penniless 
and  Leo  Tolstoi  and  others  helped  them  to  cross  the 
ocean.  They  expected  hardships,  which  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  in  a  measure  because  they  had  suffered  them 
elsewhere,  and  regarded  it  as  criminal  to  cause  children 
to  submit  to  what  they  might  withstand,  so  when  between 
four  and  five  thousand  of  them  reached  Winnipeg  there 
was  but  one  baby  among  them  and  no  children  were  born 
in  their  community  for  several  3'ears.  They  worked  and 
their  leaders  saved  and  invested  their  earnings.     To-day 


240 Sunset  Canada 

they  hold  property  valued  at  millions  of  dollars,  the 
houses  are  full  of  children,  and  every  one  wears  the  smile 
of  complete  happiness. 

"Just  exactly  what  do  you  believe?  "  I  asked  bluntly. 
"  What  is  it  that  is  so  different  from  what  others  be- 
lieve?" 

The  question  caused  no  surprise  and  was  answered  just 
as  if  I  had  inquired  something  about  strawberry  culture. 
"  We  know  no  creed,  and  only  say  of  ourselves  that  we 
are  of  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  acknowledge  God 
as  being  in  three  personifications  of  the  One  and  Unutter- 
able. We  believe  that  through  the  memory  we  assimilate 
ourselves  with  God  the  Father,  through  the  understand- 
ing with  God  the  Son,  through  the  will  with  God  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Our  conception  of  Christ  is  based  on  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Gospels;  acknowledging  His  coming  in  the 
flesh.  His  Works,  teaching  and  suffering;  but  this  is 
accepted  in  the  spiritual  sense,  and  we  affirm  that  all  con- 
tained in  the  Gospels  should  be  accomplished  in  ourselves. 
We  believe  in  the  salvation  of  man  indubitable  faith  in 
Christ  is  necessary;  but  faith  without  works  is  death,  as 
are  also  works  without  faith.  Baptism  consists  of  a  man 
repenting  with  a  pure  and  willing  heart  —  the  new  birth 
and  baptism  are  one  and  the  same.  We  regard  external 
baptism  as  unnecessary  as  water  only  washes  uncleanli- 
ness  from  the  external  body.  We  confess  our  sins  in 
prayer  to  the  heavenly  God  who  forgives  them.  If  we 
sin  against  our  brethren,  we  confess  before  all  and  ask 
forgiveness.  We  condemn  the  practice  of  calling  our- 
selves unworthy  sinners,  making  this  a  boast;  when  a  man 
has  fallen,  he  should  quickly  recover  himself,  ask  God's 
forgiveness  and  strive  not  to  fall  into  the  same  sin  again. 
As  to  communion,  we  partake  of  the  eternal,  sacred  sac- 


/7 


''  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  *'  241 

raments  in  the  acceptance  of  God's  Word;  we  do  not 
accept  communion  in  the  form  of  bread  and  wine  which 
enter  the  mouth  hke  ordinary  food  and  are  of  no  avail  to 
the  soul.  Fasting  we  regard  as  not  a  matter  of  the  kind 
or  quantity  of  food,  but  of  abstinence  from  gluttony  and 
other  vices.  We  respect  the  saints,  but  do  not  call  for 
their  help,  believing  that  they  have  pleased  God  in  their 
own  behalf  and  that  we  must  simply  imitate  them.  We 
do  not  indiscriminately  count  as  good  all  the  acts  of  the 
saints,  as  for  example  when  Saint  Nicholas  struck  Arius 
on  the  cheek ;  we  believe  that  the  Word  of  God  had  de- 
serted him.  We  do  not  regard  marriage  as  a  holy  sacra- 
ment. It  is  consummated  among  us  by  the  mutual  con- 
sent of  the  young  couple,  their  parents'  consent  and  the  .  ^ 
consent  of  the  community.  As  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  rank,  wealth  or  position  among  us,  there  is  little  inter- 
ference in  these  matters.  The  parties  concerned  promise 
to  live  together  and  there  are  no  rites  or  ceremonies. 
We  commemorate  the  dead  by  good  deeds  and  in  no  other 
way,  never  praying  for  the  dead,  considering  it  useless. 
We  do  not  refer  to  death  as  death,  but  as  a  change.  Pic- 
tures of  great  men  and  of  saints  ornament  our  homes; 
but  they  should  not  be  worshipped  as  we  consider  that  a 
deadly  sin." 

"  Do  you  believe  in  life  after  death  —  in  the  Resurrec- 
tion? "  I  asked,  as  this  point  had  not  been  touched  upon. 

"  We  believe  that  if  we  live  as  we  should  live  on  earth, 
that  is  a  matter  which  we  may  leave  entirely  to  God." 

"  Are  you  expecting  the  Messiah  to  come  to  earth 
again?"  This  was  the  question  that  I  had  desired  to 
ask  all  along,  as  upon  it  seems  to  hinge  most  of  the 
"  gossip  "  that  finds  its  way  into  the  newspapers  when 
reference  is  made  to  the  Doukhobors. 


242  Sunset  Canada 


"  Why,  bless  your  soul,"  said  the  speaker,  "  the  Mes- 
siah has  already  come.  He  is  here  and  lives  in  us,  if  we 
live  as  we  should  live.  When  we  sin.  He  departs  from 
us;  but  when  we  are  truly  repentant  and  confess  our  sins 
to  God,  He  comes  again  and  takes  up  His  abode  within 
us." 

"  But  some  years  ago  you  started  out  to  meet  the  Mes- 
siah on  the  plains  of  Saskatchewan," —  I  ventured. 

"  I  see  you  read  the  newspapers,"  was  the  rejoinder, 
and  then  came  the  "  explanation  "of  the  celebrated  pil- 
grimage that  may  better  be  postponed  in  this  narrative 
until  something  more  is  said  of  the  history  of  this  almost 
unknown  sect  in  this  country  and  elsewdiere,  as  it  re- 
lates to  what  transpired  after  their  entrance  into  Canada. 

As  the  Doukhobors  are  not  writers  they  have  no  writ- 
ten history,  and  it  is  not  known  just  wdien  they  originated, 
but  presumably  it  was  some  time  in  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury. By  the  end  of  the  last  century  their  number  had 
become  large  among  the  Russian  peasantry,  and  as  they 
were  obnoxious  to  the  clergy,  which  aims  to  hold  the 
peasantry  in  hand,  a  cruel  persecution  began  with  the  aid 
of  the  government.  As  they  worshipped  God  in  the 
spirit,  the  outward  Church  had  no  meaning  for  them. 
Even  to  the  present  day  they  have  no  church.  In  in- 
clement weather  they  gather  in  the  community  hall  on 
Sunday,  sing  psalms,  listen  to  the  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures  and  engage  in  a  verbal  discussion  that  is  open 
to  all.  The  teachings  are  founded  on  traditions  which 
are  grouped  as  the  Book  of  Life,  because  it  lives  in  mem- 
ory. It  is  a  compilation  from  both  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments. They  consider  murder,  violence  of  every  kind 
and  everything  that  is  not  based  on  love  as  opposed  to  the 
will  of  God,  and  when  their  conscience  tells  them  that  a 


"  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  243 

man-made  law  is  opposed  to  this  Will,  they  defy  the 
authorities.  They  do  not  use  intoxicants  in  any  form, 
nor  tobacco,  they  do  not  swear,  nor  do  anything  that  most 
people  count  "  objectionable,"  as  they  consider  most  of 
these  things  great  sins.  Perhaps  they  have  an  unfortu- 
nate name,  which  literally  means  "  Spirit  Wrestlers," 
and  this,  in  a  way,  classes  them  with  certain  obnoxious 
sects  in  Russia ;  so  they  have  changed  the  name  to  "  Chris- 
tians of  the  Universal  Brotherhood."  It  is  believed  that 
the  name  Doukhobors  was  given  to  the  sect  as  far  back 
as  1785  by  the  Bishop  of  Ekaterinoslaff.  In  1792,  Ko- 
hovsky,  the  governor  of  Ekaterinoslaff,  in  his  report  to 
the  higher  authorities,  said  among  other  things  that  the 
Doukhobors  were  of  exemplary  good  conduct,  avoiding 
idleness  and  drunkenness,  continually  occupied  with  the 
welfare  of  their  homes  and  leading  a  moral  life.  The 
Emperor  Alexander  I,  in  one  of  his  rescripts  concerning 
the  Doukhobors,  dated  December  9,  1816,  said:  "All 
the  measures  of  severity  exhausted  upon  the  Spirit 
Wrestlers  during  the  thirty  years  up  to  iSoi,  only  did  not 
destroy  this  sect,  but  more  and  more  multiplied  the  num- 
ber of  its  adherents."  He  proposed  better  treatment  of 
them,  but  his  suggestions  were  of  no  avail,  and  under 
Nicholas  I  they  were  banished  to  Transcaucasia  near  the 
Turkish  border,  where  the  Committee  of  Ministers  said 
that  they  would  be  obliged  to  resort  to  arms  to  protect 
their  wives  and  families  from  the  wild  tribes  —  a  state- 
ment of  rather  grim  fact.  Moreover,  it  was  a  difficult 
climate  into  which  they  were  plunged,  a  district  where 
crops  are  often  killed  by  early  frosts.  But  the  Douk- 
hobors flourished  there  for  nearly  fifty  years  and  founded 
successful  colonies.  In  1887  universal  military  service 
was  declared  for  the  Caucasus.     The  Doukhobors  pro- 


244  Sunset  Canada 


tested  and  property  worth  a  half-million  rubles  was  taken 
from  them,  after  which  they  were  banished  to  the  govern- 
ment of  Archangel,  Twelve  thousand  of  them  decided 
not  to  depart  from  the  traditions  of  their  fathers  and 
declined  military  service.  The  night  of  June  28,  1895, 
was  fixed  for  the  public  burning  of  their  arms.  The  fire 
was  accompanied  by  the  singing  of  psalms.  They  were 
attacked  by  a  troop  of  soldiers,  the  report  having  been 
given  out  that  they  were  attempting  to  burn  the  city,  and 
although  the  fires  were  almost  extinguished  when  the  mil- 
itary arrived,  the  people  were  cruelly  beaten  with  whips. 
A  greater  persecution  than  before  followed,  because  Cos- 
sack troops  were  given  permission  to  take  up  residence  in 
Doukhobor  homes.  Property  was  stolen  and  the  people 
were  insulted  and  outraged  in  brutal  fashion,  some  of 
the  women  being  beaten  with  whips  and  violated.  The 
men  were  either  imprisoned  or  banished,  this  time  to  dis- 
tricts where  not  more  than  two  of  them  were  in  one  vil- 
lage. In  one  place  one  hundred  and  six  deaths  took  place 
in  one  hundred  families.  Some  were  so  cruelly  beaten 
that  they  expired  before  they  arrived  at  the  place  of  exile; 
many  others  died  in  prison.  One  of  them,  Michael 
Scherbinin,  was  tortured  to  death  by  being  pounded  on  a 
wooden  horse  in  a  gymnasium.  The  world  was  horror- 
struck  when  some  of  these  brutalities  were  revealed. 
Men  and  women  were  being  martyred  by  Cossack  brutes 
because  they  were  trying  to  practice  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
Christ !  Leo  Tolstoi  wrote  the  Appeal  to  Reason,  which 
stirred  the  world,  but  Russia  looked  on  and  did  little  or 
nothing  to  prevent  a  continuation  of  the  outrages.  When 
petitions  and  protests  proved  to  be  in  vain,  occurred  what 
at  the  time  seemed  to  be  an  incident  of  small  conse- 
quence.    A  Siberian  exile  wrote  a  letter  to  a  woman 


*'  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  245 

of  St.  Petersburg,  who  chanced  to  be  travehng  in  dis- 
tant provinces  on  a  visit.  The  exile  was  Peter  Vas- 
silyevitch  Veregin;  the  woman  who  received  the  letter 
was  Alexandra  Theodorovna  Romanov,  Empress  of  Rus- 
sia. It  was  the  first  time  that  the  man  had  come  to  the 
attention  of  the  world;  but  his  letter  not  only  brought 
the  limelight  upon  his  head,  it  was  the  means  of  setting 
free  many  thousands  of  Christian  slaves.  I  mentioned 
Veregin's  absolute  spiritual  and  temporal  authority  to  a 
Doukhobor  at  Brilliant,  where  there  has  been  some  kind 
of  movement  to  have  his  name  incorporated  so  that  the 
vast  properties  of  the  community  may  continue  in  his 
name  after  his  death  and  the  man  replied :  "  '  Thou 
art  Peter,'  said  Christ,  '  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build 
my  church  and  the  Gates  of  Hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it.'  These  were  the  words  of  the  Saviour.  He  lived 
twenty  centuries  ago  and  preached  by  His  life  to  all 
mankind  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  might  be  established 
on  earth." 

Peter  Veregin  is  now  close  to  sixty  years  of  age.  As 
the  real  estate  dealer  of  Creston  observed :  "  He  looks 
like  a  hayseed  " —  that  is,  there  is  nothing  about  his  ap- 
pearance or  clothing  to  distinguish  him  from  any  of  the 
Doukhobors.  But  one  who  studies  his  face  soon  realizes 
that  he  is  a  born  leader  of  men,  a  leader  of  initiative  and 
force  and  yet  one  whose  kindliness  naturally  draws  all 
men  to  him  and  holds  them.  These  points  of  difference 
to  other  men  were  observed  by  Lookeria  Vassilevna,  who 
succeeded  her  husband  as  chief  of  the  sect.  Peter  was  a 
member  of  a  wealthy  family  and  he  received  a  thorough 
education  that  fitted  him  for  his  important  post.  On 
her  deathbed  his  predecessor,  who  was  the  sixth  leader, 
pronounced  his  name ;  he  accepted  the  high  calling  and  the 


246  Sunset  Canada 


'^ 


people  accepted  him  in  the  position.  He  barely  assumed 
the  leadership,  however,  than  he  began  a  movement  of 
more  persuasive  resistance  to  the  Russian  Government's 
system  of  compulsory  military  service.  He  was  soon 
seized  by  the  authorities  and  exiled  to  Siberia  for  five 
years.  When  the  five  years  had  expired  the  term  was 
extended  to  ten  years,  and  when  this  time  had  passed  an- 
other five  were  added,  and  it  was  finally  sixteen  years  be- 
fore he  was  given  his  liberty.  He  continued  to  write 
pastoral  letters  to  his  flock,  however,  and  some  of  these 
are  greatly  treasured  to-day;  his  authority  was  supreme, 
although  he  was  forcibly  held  at  Obdorsk,  Siberia,  long 
after  the  other  Doukhobors  had  been  permitted  to  leave 
Russia. 

Peter  Veregin's  celebrated  letter  that  was  instrumen- 
tal in  gaining  freedom  for  his  flock,  through  the  inter- 
cession of  the  Empress,  was  as  follows :  "  May  God 
Almighty  preserve  thy  soul  in  this  life  as  well  as  in  the 
future  age,  sister  Alexandra.  I  am  a  servant  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  dwelling  in  the  testimony  and  glad 
tidings  of  His  Truth.  Have  been  in  exile  since  1886, 
and  hail  from  the  Trans-Caucasian  Doukhobor  settle- 
ment. The  word  *'  Doukhobor  "  should  be  understood  in 
this  sense,  that  we  profess  God  in  the  spirit  and  with 
our  soul.  (See  —  the  Gospel;  the  meeting  of  Christ 
with  the  Samaritan  woman  at  the  well.)  I  beseech  thee, 
sister  Alexandra,  pray  thy  husband  Nicolas  to  spare  the 
Christians  in  the  Caucasus  from  persecutions.  It  is  to 
thee  I  appeal,  because  I  think  thy  heart  is  more  turned 
toward  God.  And  in  those  places  women  and  children 
are  now  suffering  the  hardest.  Hundreds  of  men,  hus- 
bands and  parents,  are  confined  in  jails,  while  thousands 
of   families  are  dispersed  among  the  native  mountain 


PETER  VEREGIN,  HEAD  OF  DOUKHOBORS. 


*'  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  247 

villages  where  the  population  is  incited  by  the  authorities 
to  treat  the  Doukhobors  roughly,  and  this  tells  especially 
cruelly  upon  the  Christian  women!  And  lately  they 
started  imprisoning  women  and  children  as  well.  Our 
guilt  lies  in  our  endeavouring  to  become  Christians  as  best 
we  can;  possibly  we  fall  short  of  true  conception  in  some 
of  our  actions.  Thou  art  probably  acquainted  with  the 
teachings  of  Vegetarianism.  We  are  followers  of  these 
humanitarian  views.  Lately  we  gave  up  using  flesh  as 
food,  to  drink  wine  and  have  forsaken  much  of  that  which 
is  conducive  to  loose  living  and  befogs  the  radiance  of 
human  soul.  And  since  we  do  not  kill  animals,  we  in  no 
case  regard  it  as  possible  to  deprive  men  of  life.  If  we 
were  to  deliberately  kill  an  ordinary  man,  be  he  a  robber 
even,  we  would  feel  like  resolving  to  assassinate  Christ. 

"  And  therein  lies  the  chief  cause  of  the  trouble.  The 
State  requires  our  brethren  to  be  trained  in  the  use  of 
fire  arms,  in  order  to  become  proficient  in  man-slaughter. 
Christians  will  not  consent  to  this.  They  are  put  into 
prisons,  beaten  and  starved ;  while  their  sisters  and  moth- 
ers are  savagely  outraged,  frequently  with  profane  rail- 
lery :  "  And  where  is  your  God,  Why  does  he  not  help 
you?  "  (Our  Lord  in  Heaven  and  on  earth,  and  fulfils 
His  will.     See  Psalms  of  David  113  and  114.) 

"  And  this  is  all  more  painful  because  it  is  all  perpe- 
trated in  a  Christian  country.  Our  community  in  the 
Caucasus  consists  of  about  twenty  thousand  souls.  Can  it 
be  possible  that  such  a  handful  of  people  could  injure  the 
organism  of  the  State  if  the  soldiers  were  not  recruited 
from  among  them?  Although  soldiers  ARE  recruited 
now,  but  uselessly.  Thirty  men  are  held  in  the  fortress 
of  Ekatherinograd  in  the  penal  battalion,  where  the 
authorities  are  only  tormenting  themselves  by  torturing 


248  Sunset  Canada 


A 


them.  We  regard  man  as  the  temple  of  the  living  God 
and  will  on  no  account  prepare  ourselves  for  killing  him, 
though  for  this  we  ourselves  were  to  be  threatened  by 
death.  The  best  way  of  dealing  with  us  would  be  to 
let  us  settle  in  some  little  corner  of  the  country,  where  we 
might  dwell  in  peace,  engaged  in  pursuit  of  our  toil. 
We  will  discharge  all  the  State  obligations  in  the  form 
of  taxes,  only  we  can  not  serve  as  soldiers.  Should  the 
Government  deem  it  impossible  to  consent  to  this,  then 
let  them  give  us  the  freedom  to  migrate  into  one  of  the 
foreign  countries.  We  would  willingly  go  to  England, 
or  the  most  convenient  resort  for  us  would  be  America, 
where  we  have  a  multitude  of  brethren  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  From  the  fullness  of  my  heart  I  pray  the  Lord 
for  the  welfare  of  thy  family  —  Christ's  servant  Peter 
(living  in  exile  in  the  Government  of  Tobolsk)." 

The  Russian  authorities  were  slow  to  act,  however, 
even  with  the  pressure  that  was  brought  upon  them.  It 
seemed  that  they  wanted  revenge,  as  their  plottings  had 
been  exposed  to  the  world.  Peter  Veregin  was  in  con- 
stant communication  with  Tolstoi  and  the  latter  continued 
to  thunder  his  denunciations  through  the  press,  notably  the 
London  Times.  "  The  great  heat  and  the  unaccustomed 
climate  are  doing  their  work,"  wrote  a  Russian  officer 
from  the  Caucasus  at  this  time.  "  There  is  not  a  single 
healthy  looking  face.  As  these  people  are,  by  nature,  of 
a  strong  constitution,  this  feverish  yellowness  and  pale- 
ness is  the  more  striking.  Some  of  them  are  so  ex- 
hausted by  the  fever  as  to  lose  all  strength  and  conscious- 
ness. It  is  clear  to  every  one  that  they  are  dying  out. 
The  surest  way  for  the  government  to  get  rid  of  them." 
And  there  was  truth  in  what  he  wrote,  for  over  one 
thousand  of  them  died  of  fever  and  lack  of  food. 


''  What  Would  Jesus  Do?  "  249 

In  March,  1898  came  the  joyful  news  that  they  would  ^ 

be  permitted  to  leave  the  country.  Tolstoi  contributed  ''f 
the  profits  from  his  great  novel  Resurrection  for  the 
purpose,  and  generous  friends  elsewhere  assisted  in  the 
exodus.  The  Doukhobors  wished  to  go  to  America,  or, 
failing  that,  to  the  island  of  Cyprus,  choice  finally  falling 
on  the  latter,  as  they  felt  it  imperative  that  they  take 
advantage  of  the  official  ruling  without  delay,  and  there 
were  no  funds  to  carry  seven  or  eight  thousand  persons 
across  the  ocean.  But  difficulties  arose  and  only  one 
thousand,  one  hundred  twenty-six  immigrants  reached 
the  Mediterranean  island.  They  rejoiced  in  their  free- 
dom, however,  and  immediately  laid  plans  for  reviving 
their  communal  life.  They  worked  very  hard,  erecting 
mud  houses  and  putting  the  surrounding  fields  under  cul- 
tivation. But  the  climate  was  trying  and  caused  the 
death  of  ninety  of  the  number.  Still,  they  toiled,  and 
considered  Cyprus  at  least  a  resting-place  in  their  long 
pilgrimage  for  freedom.  Friends  visited  Canada  and 
in  time  overcame  the  barriers  that  were  at  first  raised 
against  the  sect  on  account  of  their  refusal  to  participate 
in  military  service  of  any  kind,  and  January  23,  1899, 
the  steamer  Lake  Huron  arrived  at  Halifax,  bearing  the 
first  party  of  two  thousand,  one  hundred  Doukhobors. 
In  the  second  party  came  one  thousand,  nine  hundred 
seventy-four  of  them  and  they  continued  to  come  on  later 
ships.  They  were  given  assistance  by  the  railroads  and 
others  and  finally  reached  their  new  home  on  the  western 
prairies,  taking  land  under  the  homestead  laws  which 
gives  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to  any  man  from  the 
age  of  eighteen  upward.  Two  thousand  homesteads 
were  accepted  in  this  way  and  every  one  immediately 
turned  his  hand  to  work,  plowing  the  land  and  sowing 


250  Sunset  Canada 


grain.  Peter  Veregin  gained  his  liberty  and  joined  his 
flock  in  Saskatchewan  in  1902. 

Things  were  moving  along  nicely,  but  one  day  an 
official  arrived  and  reported  that  "  the  government  re- 
grets to  perceive  that  the  majority  of  the  Doukhobors, 
after  seven  years'  residence  in  Canada,  still  continue  to 
till  their  land  communally  and  declining  to  acquire  the 
citizenship  of  this  country.  .  .  .  Men  born  outside  of  the 
Doukhobor  persuasion  demand  that  the  Doukhobors 
should  not  be  allowed  to  go  on  holding  their  land  without 
cultivating  the  same  and  without  adopting  the  citizen- 
ship of  the  country." 

It  was  the  old,  old  story,  "  men  born  outside  of  Douk- 
hobor persuasion  "  were  beginning  their  persecution  in 
Canada,  as  they  did  in  Russia.  The  success  of  the  Douk- 
hobors won  by  diligent  labour  always  aroused  jealousy. 
The  government  said  it  represented  the  will  of  the  ma- 
jority of  the  people.  And  the  "  will  of  the  people " 
threatened  that  the  land  held  by  Doukhobors,  after  a  small 
allotment  had  been  made  to  them,  would  be  confiscated. 
Representatives  of  the  community  went  to  the  Dominion 
capital  declaring  that  they  were  deeply  grateful  to  Can- 
ada for  having  extended  its  hospitality,  but  that  they  had 
government  warrant  for  what  they  had  done  since  arrival. 
But  it  was  of  little  avail.  The  government  said  that 
Doukhobors  who  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  would  re- 
ceive one  hundred  and  sixty  acres;  those  who  declined, 
only  fifteen  acres. 

At  this  very  important  moment  in  their  lives  occurred 
the  celebrated  "  pilgrimage  to  meet  the  Messiah  "  that 
gained  publicity  throughout  the  world.  The  impression 
was  given  out  that  they  were  a  troublesome  lot  of  re- 
ligious fanatics  who  gave  the  authorities  much  trouble. 


"What  Would  Jesus  Do?'^  251 

In  reality,  it  was  all  their  mighty  protest  against  what 
they  considered  persecution.  Stunned  by  what  they  con- 
sidered official  treachery,  they  gave  away  everything,  even 
threw  off  the  clothes  from  their  backs  and  started  out, 
as  a  protest,  with  no  possessions  whatever.  Their  des- 
perate straits  led  them  to  declare  that  they  did  not  care 
what  became  of  them.  Just  what  happened  in  those  try- 
ing days  may  be  imagined.  The  Doukhobors  were 
clapped  into  jails  and  madhouses.  They  suffered  much 
as  they  had  suffered  in  Russia ;  and  all  the  time  the  North 
American  continent  was  led  to  believe  that  the  Dominion 
authorities  were  wrestling  with  a  large  band  of  lunatics. 
Peter  Veregin  had  been  in  British  Columbia.  I  have 
seen  it  printed  that  he  had  purchased  fifteen  thousand 
acres  of  land;  at  Brilliant  the  Doukhobors  told  me  it 
was  nearer  twenty  thousand  acres.  Again  they  moved 
on ;  and  again  they  broke  new  soil  and  put  it  under  culti- 
vation, making  their  community  an  example,  or  model,  on 
which  all  agricultural  communities  might  be  fashioned 
with  profit.  Men  "  born  outside  of  the  Doukhobor  per- 
suasion "  are  again  at  work.  One  recalls  the  animosity 
of  the  Russian  clergy  long  ago.  And  the  Doukhobors, 
while  happy  in  their  labours,  are  wondering  how  long  this 
happiness  will  continue.  They  are  wondering  if  it  will 
be  necessary  for  them  to  move  on  again.  Peter  Veregin 
stands  in  the  center  of  a  large  gathering  in  a  grove  or  on 
the  hillside  on  Sunday  and  addresses  them  sometimes 
for  four,  five,  or  even  six  hours ;  and  they  follow  him  im- 
plicitly— nn  spiritual  and  temporal  affairs.  They  chant 
psalms,  and  on  Monday  morning  they  turn  to  their  work 
not  knowing  from  past  experiences  when  their  labour 
shall  have  proved  in  vain,  because  their  motto  of  life  is: 
"  What  would  Jesus  do?  " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THROUGH    ANCIENT    GORGES 

Revelstoke  is  the  city  that  precedes  the  great  phinge 
into  the  ravine  and  canyons  of  the  Selkirks.  It  is  where 
the  locomotive  receives  its  water  and  fuel,  where  the 
train  crew  is  changed,  and  where  the  passenger  on  trans- 
continental trains  from  the  West  recovers  from  the  sur- 
prise and  wonder  of  what  he  has  seen,  takes  a  deep  breath 
and  launches  boldly  into  one  of  the  colossal  amphitheaters 
of  the  earth.  It  has  been  the  habit  of  tourists  to  pause 
no  longer  than  that,  a  promenade  along  the  station  plat- 
form, perhaps  a  glance  into  the  corridor  of  the  hotel, 
which  is  reached  by  a  long  staircase  from  where  the 
trains  stop,  an  admiring  glance  toward  Mounts  Revel- 
stoke or  Begbie,  perhaps  an  effort  at  speedy  appreciation 
of  the  well-kept  gardens  along  distant  avenues  —  and 
the  traveler  climbs  back  on  the  train,  seats  himself  and 
prepares  for  the  wonderful  hours  that  are  soon  to  follow. 
Naturally,  Revelstoke  resents  this  slight  attention  from 
visitors  and  there  is  a  well-defined  movement  to  alter  con- 
ditions as  they  exist.  That  the  city  and  its  neighbour- 
hood possess  natural  features  that  should  attract  and  hold 
visitors  nobody  doubts ;  the  people  of  Revelstoke  believe 
that  they  have  been  discriminated  against  in  the  generous 
railway  publicity  of  recent  years.  That  the  railway  has 
been  the  maker  of  the  city,  that  it  maintains  it  in  pros- 
perity at  all  seasons  is  likewise  apparent,  so  the  scheme 
is  to  retain  the  railroad  yards  and  divisional  equipment, 

252 


Through  Ancient  Gorges 253 

but  at  the  same  time  let  travelers  know  of  scenic  attrac- 
tions, develop  trails  and  roadways  to  the  principal  points 
of  interest,  and  arrange  for  more  elaborate  housing  and 
entertainment. 

Probably  Revelstoke  is  the  most  important  commercial 
center  between  Vancouver  and  Calgary  along  the  main 
line.  Locomotives  are  forever  whistling  and  these 
screeches  echo  around  the  mountain  walls  that  encircle 
the  city.  The  round-house  that  lies  directly  beneath  the 
veranda  of  the  big  raihvay  hotel  is  constantly  belching 
smoke  into  the  air.  The  bells  are  always  tolling  on 
swdtch-engines.  All  these  noises  that  are  tolerated  else- 
where become  almost  intolerable  in  this  huge  granite 
megaphone.  Yet  Revelstoke  aims  to  *'  combine  business 
with  pleasure,"  as  one  native  of  Revelstoke  expressed  it 
to  me,  retain  the  business  activity  and  also  entertain 
tourists. 

But  the  two  seem  to  conflict.  Smoke,  whisdes,  the 
roundhouse,  great  stretches  of  the  valley  spread  with 
freight  yards,  do  not  seem  to  fuse  into  the  picture  that 
delights  the  eyes,  ears  or  nostrils  of  a  traveler  to  British 
Columbia.  At  least,  he  demands  a  hotel  removed  from 
the  turmoil  and  bustle.  He  desires  that  it  be  perched  on 
a  quiet  mountainside,  and,  as  in  Switzerland,  he  does 
not  object  to  looking  down  upon  a  busy  village  or  city; 
but  at  night  he  wants  to  be  still,  he  demands  air  that 
blows  fresh  from  mountain  snows  straight  into  his  cham- 
ber windows.  All  these  requirements,  says  the  man  of 
Revelstoke,  will  be  filled  if  a  hotel  is  built  on  any  one  of 
a  thousand  available  sites  located  within  easy  distance 
from  the  station.  He  miay  be  right,  but  what  seems  far 
more  likely  is  that  the  city  will  develop  along  the  lines 
of  "  combination  "  suggested  by  another  man.     Greater 


254  Sunset  Canada 


numbers  of  tourists  may  come  in  the  future,  because  sev- 
eral splendid  projects  are  on  foot  for  making  beauty  spots 
more  easily  available  than  they  are  at  present;  but  it 
seems  the  "  fate  "  of  Revelstoke  to  remain  a  commercial 
center  in  future,  as  it  has  been  in  the  past.  It  is  a  natural 
railway  base  and  trade  center  of  great  "  strategic  "  im- 
portance. Several  new  branch  railroad  lines  are  con- 
templated in  various  directions,  the  Columbia  River  will 
doubtless  increase  in  value  as  a  medium  for  cargo  service, 
conditions  not  far  away  seem  likely  to  favour  fruit-grow- 
ing, there  are  vast  timberlands  as  yet  untouched,  mines 
are  constantly  being  located,  which  pass  their  product 
this  way,  and  two  commercial  enterprises,  the  sawmills 
and  the  Canadian  Pacific  railway,  have  a  monthly  payroll 
that  brings  over  $200,000  to  local  pocketbooks.  Tourists 
may  increase  in  future,  but  there  will  be  no  abandonment 
of  what  has  given  the  city  its  life  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
couraging the  world  to  think  of  it  as  a  mountain  resort. 
"  The  Capital  of  the  Canadian  Alps  "  is  Revelstoke's 
slogan;  but  no  doubt  it  will  remain  the  commercial  cap- 
ital, even  after  the  erection  of  the  contemplated  $200,000 
tourist  hotel. 

Revelstoke  is  not  a  city  "  set  on  a  hill,"  but  it  occupies 
a  site  that  seems  fully  as  commanding  as  the  mountain- 
side could  be,  because  it  spreads  over  the  floor  of  a  basin 
that  seems  to  be  completely  surrounded  by  mountains, 
several  of  which  are  draped  with  greenish-white  glaciers 
and  capped  with  snow.  There  are  cutlets  and  inlets  be- 
tween the  mountains,  through  which  rivers  flow  and 
where  the  path  is  followed  by  the  railroads ;  but,  in  some 
instances,  huge  piles  of  rock  stand  in  front  of  these 
passes,  and  the  rivers  make  sharp  curves  around  the 
granite  screens  as  if  too  timid  to  approach.     Over  to  the 


Through  Ancient  Gorges  255 

south  of  the  city  is  Mount  Begbie,  which  wears  a  triple 
crown  of  white,  reaching  seven  thousand  feet  above  the 
valley.  A  trail  leads  to  it  from  the  city,  a  popular  ex- 
cursion for  local  amateur  climbers,  but  one  that  should 
not  be  attempted  by  the  tenderfoot  who  is  deceived  by 
the  apparent  distance  to  its  crest.  Begbie  seems  to  lie 
"just  beyond"  the  city  limits;  but  one  who  has  made 
the  ascent  on  three  occasions  assured  me  that  the  base  of 
the  mountain  is  reached  after  following  the  trail  four 
miles  beyond  the  city  and  it  is  thought  to  be  about 
eighteen  miles  to  the  summit  by  the  trails  usually  fol- 
lowed. At  the  summit  there  is  a  clear,  white  glacier 
which  rewards  the  climber,  and  Revelstoke  has  long 
cherished  a  firm  belief  in  a  sensational  fiction  which  all 
who  make  the  ascent  endeavour  to  perpetuate.  It  is  re- 
lated that  many  years  ago  a  Frenchman  climbed  to  this 
ice-field,  slipped  and  fell  down  a  deep  crevasse,  where  he 
met  a  horrible  death,  because  the  fall  did  not  kill  him  and 
he  slowly  starved  to  death.  Slowly,  the  ice  has  crept 
over  his  prostrate  body  during  the  years  that  have  passed. 
"  On  a  clear  day,  when  looking  over  the  precipice  one 
may  see  him  there,  still  grasping  his  old  Hudson's  Bay 
musket "  say  the  tale-bearers,  who  always  find  some  one 
to  believe  them.  It  is  Revelstoke's  favourite  story  and 
nobody  seems  to  recall  just  who  it  was  first  started  what 
is  a  preposterous  yarn. 

A  motor  road  has  been  constructed  up  Revelstoke 
Mountain,  just  to  the  north  of  the  city.  This  is  more 
popular  with  visitors  than  the  more  difficult  trails,  and  it 
offers  pleasant  hours  for  the  excursionist  who  spends  but 
a  day  in  the  city.  Here  are  fields  literally  carpeted  with 
Alpine  flowers,  and  splendid  views  of  the  surrounding 
country  may  be  obtained  on  this  heavily  timbered  pile. 


256  Sunset  Canada 


which,  owing  to  its  location  in  a  group  of  towering  peaks, 
seems  to  be  much  higher  than  it  is  shown  to  be  in  the 
official  measurements.  There  are  other  interesting  ex- 
cursions to  the  Canyon  of  the  Columbia  River,  to  Silver 
Tip  Falls;  in  fact  any  of  the  roadways  that  lead  from 
the  city  are  certain  to  bring  one  to  dense  forests,  unusual 
rock  formations,  and,  likely  as  not,  pretty  waterfalls  that 
are  not  considered  to  be  of  sufficient  consequence  to  have 
received  individual  names. 

Just  before  the  railroad  enters  Revelstoke  on  the  way 
from  Sicamous  it  penetrates  Eagle  Pass,  which  was  dis- 
covered by  Walter  Moberly  of  Victoria.  When  the 
Canadian  Pacific  railway  was  being  constructed,  rails 
were  laid  from  the  west  and  from  the  east,  the  two  sec- 
tions meeting  at  the  town  of  Craigellachle,  where  the  late 
Lord  Strathcona  drove  the  last  spike  November  7,  1885. 
The  mountains  seemed  to  defy  the  onward  approach  of 
the  rails,  so  it  was  an  important  discovery  when  Mr.  Mob- 
erly watched  the  eagles  flying  in  a  certain  direction  and 
followed  them.  "  I  followed  them  along  the  Columbia," 
he  relates,  "  and  I  saw  them  take  a  big  curve.  I  knew 
that  eagles  always  follow  a  stream  or  make  for  an  open- 
ing in  the  mountains,  so  I  found  what  was  wanted, 
and  very  appropriately,  I  think,  called  the  place  Eagle 
Pass." 

Soon  after  starting  eastward  from  Revelstoke  one  en- 
ters a  region  that  corresponds  to  the  great  Andean  system 
of  South  America.  The  granite  giants  along  the  way 
are  known  as  the  North  American  Cordillera  and  com- 
pose the  most  majestic  groupings  of  the  Canadian 
Rockies.  The  next  few  hours  of  the  journey  are  of  as 
great  interest  to  the  geologist  as  to  the  casual  tourists,  for 
in  the  rocks  are  read  some  of  the  vital  pages  in  that  chap- 


Through  Ancient  Gorges 257 

ter  of  the  Book  of  Creation  which  relates  to  western 
Canada. 

Charles  Camsell  says  in  a  Guide  to  the  Geology  of  the 
Canadian  National  Parks  a  government  pubHcation : 
"  Since  no  one  has  ever  seen  mountain  ranges  in  actual 
process  of  formation  the  manner  in  which  they  are  built 
must  be  deduced  from  a  study  of  their  structure.  The 
Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Selkirks  along  the  railway  line 
are  built  out  of  thick  series  of  sedimentary  strata  which 
must  have  been  laid  down  originally  one  on  top  of  the 
other  in  the  sea  in  a  horizontal  or  approximately  hori- 
zontal attitude.  The  first  step  in  the  formation  of  the 
mountains  then  was  the  accumulation  of  these  sedi- 
ments in  a  sea  which  covered  the  present  site  of  the 
mountains  and  the  floor  of  which  was  gradually  subsid- 
ing. The  position  of  this  sea  was  determined  as  far 
back  as  the  Cambrian  Period,  and  from  that  time  down  to 
the  end  of  Cretaceous  it  received  sedimentary  material 
mainly  from  a  land  area  on  the  west  until  a  thickness  of 
over  fifty  thousand  feet  of  material  was  laid  down  and 
afterwards  consolidated  into  rock.  The  second  stage  in 
the  building  of  the  mountains  was  the  upheaval  of  this 
thick  mass  of  strata  into  a  series  of  parallel  folds  striking 
slightly  west  of  north.  This  was  produced  by  lateral 
compression  directed  from  the  Pacific  side  and  acting 
very  slowly  but  with  enormous  force.  As  the  compress- 
ing force  increased  the  folds  were  arched  higher  and  be- 
came more  tightly  crowded  together  until  they  were  either 
overturned  or  broken  and  thrust  one  over  the  other  to- 
wards the  East.  The  greatest  disturbance  in  the  strata 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  appears  to  be  in  the  eastern 
ranges,  and  as  one  goes  eastward  to  the  prairie  this  dis- 
turbance decreases  until  it  dies  out  altogether.  .  .  .  The 


258  Sunset  Canada 


mountains  are  not  now  in  the  shape  that  they  would  have 
been  left  if  upheaval  had  been  the  only  agent  concerned 
in  their  formation.  But  it  is  evident  that  their  ridges, 
peaks  and  valleys  have  been  carved  out  of  other  forms 
by  the  agencies  of  denudation.  As  upheaval  is  a  slow 
process,  denudation  must  have  begun  its  work  as  soon 
as  the  crests  of  the  folds  made  their  appearance  above  the 
sea,  so  that  the  mountain  probably  never  had  the  full 
height  which  the  strata,  if  free  from  denudation,  would 
have  given  it.  The  agents  of  denudation  are  running 
water,  frost,  wind  and  glaciers,  and  by  these  the  ridges 
are  carved  into  various  shapes,  valleys  eroded  out,  and  a 
general  destruction  of  the  ranges  is  carried  out.  For  a 
long  time  the  effect  of  denudation  is  to  increase  the  rug- 
gedness  of  the  mountains  and  this  is  the  stage  at  which 
the  history  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  now  is.  As  time 
goes  on,  however,  they  will  be  worn  lower  and  lower 
until  they  are  eventually  reduced  to  the  level  of  the  plains. 
Geologically  speaking,  the  wearing  down  of  a  mountain 
range  to  the  level  of  the  plain  takes  place  in  a  compara- 
tively short  time,  but  from  a  human  point  of  view  the 
process  is  exceedingly  slow." 

The  train  reaches  Albert  Canyon  and  stops  long 
enough  for  passengers  to  visit  the  rim  of  the  great  gorge 
where  the  oldest  rocks  of  the  whole  Canadian  system  are 
said  to  lie.  Rails  have  been  placed  at  the  ledge  so  one 
may  go  out  upon  the  shelf  of  rock  and  look  far  down 
where  the  Illecillewaet  River  is  still  wedging  its  stream 
deeper  and  deeper  through  the  ancient  aqueduct.  The 
road  eastward  is  bordered  by  deep  valleys  heavily  tim- 
bered and  the  train  performs  several  interesting  twists 
and  evolutions  as  it  ascends  to  the  station  at  Glacier, 
which  the  official  figures  show  to  be  4,086  feet  above  the 


Through  Ancient  Gorges  259 

sea.  Previous  to  the  last  year,  the  train  circled  the  shelf 
of  a  tremendous  basin  and  deposited  its  passengers  at  the 
steps  of  the  hotel  which  lies  only  two  miles  from  the 
base  of  the  Illecillewaet  Glacier,  one  of  the  nearest  rail 
approaches  to  a  huge  tongue  of  ice  on  the  continent ;  but 
the  completion  of  a  tunnel  has  eliminated  this  ascent  and 
the  train  plunges  into  Mount  Macdonald  shutting  off  the 
bewildering  view  and  making  it  more  conveniently  im- 
perative than  before  for  one  to  break  his  trans-mountain 
journey  at  Glacier  if  this  has  not  been  done  previously. 
Glacier  is  the  first  of  the  celebrated  mountain  resorts 
reached  by  the  eastbound  trans-continental  trains  and 
the  first  that  usually  claims  attention  from  the  tourist 
who  expects  to  make  only  two  or  three  stops  between 
Vancouver  and  the  plains.  At  this  station  he  has  ar- 
rived in  what  is  popularly  known  as  the  "  Canadian 
Alps."  Elsewhere  the  mountains  have  been  seen  from 
a  distance.  Sometimes  the  snowy  peaks  did  not  seem 
far  away,  because  of  the  cool  breezes  that  swept  from 
their  faces  and  the  clear  air  was  deceptive.  The  story 
long  ago  told  about  the  English  visitor  who  emerged 
from  the  hotel  one  morning  and  fancied  he  would  "  take 
a  run  up  to  the  summit  of  a  nearby  mountain  before 
breakfast,"  but  who  did  not  return  from  his  sprint  until 
too  late  for  the  evening  dinner  has  been  the  actual  ex- 
perience of  all  strangers  in  this  region.  They  may  not 
have  made  the  climb,  but  they  were  perfectly  certain  of 
their  ability  to  do  so.  In  plenty  of  places  further  back 
on  the  line  the  mountain  peaks  seem  to  be  almost  at  the 
side  of  the  rails.  "How  far  to  that  mountain?"  asks 
the  tenderfoot.  "  Ten,  fifteen  or  perhaps  twenty  miles  " 
comes  the  answer  from  one  who  knows.  It  was  bewilder- 
ing until  one  adjusted  himself  to  the  new  range  of  vision. 


260  Sunset  Canada 


But  at  Glacier  the  visitor  finds  himself  on  the  slope 
of  one  mountain  and  within  calling  distance  of  several 
surrounding  giants.  The  hotel  is  a  series  of  picturesque 
chateaux  and  from  every  window,  day  or  night,  one  looks 
out  upon  massive  snow  fields  that  drape  themselves  over 
surrounding  summits.  And  most  wonderful  of  all,  only 
two  miles  distant  along  an  enchanted  pathway  of  pine, 
waterfalls  and  Alpine  flowers,  is  the  great  glacier,  which 
hangs  threateningly  over  the  shoulder  of  Sir  Donald, 
colossal  and  awe-inspiring,  but  in  reality  only  a  prong 
from  the  Illecillewaet  ice  desert  that  lies  far  up  in  the 
clouds,  seemingly  detached  from  the  earth. 

In  Glacier  the  professional  or  amateur  climber  might 
establish  his  headquarters  and  make  daily  ascents  for  a 
month  without  retracing  his  footsteps.  In  every  direc- 
tion there  are  trails.  Some  of  them  are  fascinating 
woodland  paths,  where  the  government  has  constructed 
rustic  fences  along  precipitous  cliffs  and  bridges  of  logs 
over  turbulent  streams.  A  child  might  ascend  them  with 
safety,  for  they  frequently  become  bridle  paths  for  those 
who  prefer  to  ride  ponies.  There  are  two  such  trails 
which  lead  to  the  base  of  the  glacier.  Other  trails  are 
as  well  made  but  call  for  greater  endurance  as  they  seem 
to  be  never-ending  and  the  amateur  turns  back  long  be- 
fore he  has  reached  the  summit.  Still  others  are  difficult, 
even  dangerous  if  not  accompanied  by  a  guide,  unless  one 
has  been  much  in  the  mountains  and  knows  what  it  is  to 
scale  giant  rocks  as  a  fly  ascends  a  pane  of  glass.  Scores 
of  the  outings  that  appear  upon  suggested  programs 
of  the  Swiss  guides  are  through  the  trail-less  wilderness 
that  is  rarely  visited  by  man. 

These  tramps  into  almost  unknown  are  eagerly  sought 
by  professional  climbers  and  there  are  few  mysteries  of 


TRAIL  TO  THE  GREAT  GLACIER. 


Through  Ancient  Gorges 261 

the  extensive  neighbourhood  that  remain  unknown  to 
them.  They  visit  Glacier  one  season  and  make  a  difficult 
ascent.  If  they  were  not  mountaineers  they  might  be 
satisfied;  but  they  go  away  promising  themselves  that 
they  will  scale  a  more  difficult  peak  the  following  year. 
The  hotel  shelters  many  of  such  persons  in  summer. 
They  are  well  known  and  their  "  little  eccentricity  "  is  not 
discouraged.  Some  of  the  most  celebrated  mountain- 
climbers  in  history  have  come  to  a  natural  death,  igno- 
miniously  lying  down  in  bed  and  falling  prey  to  disease 
the  same  as  others.  The  percentage  of  those  who  meet 
death  by  falling  on  perilous  mountain  ledges  is  compara- 
tively small.  Any  of  them  will  assure  you  of  that;  and 
perhaps  this  is  what  spurs  them  on  to  constantly  greater 
endeavour  to  mount  the  unsealed  peaks.  A  disease? 
Perhaps,  but  it  is  also  one  of  earth's  greatest  pleasures. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  be  a  professional  climber,  how- 
ever, to  revel  in  the  joys  of  Glacier  and  to  imagine  that 
one  has  performed  feats  of  strength  and  endurance  that 
are  smiled  upon  by  hardy  climbers  and  called  "  baby 
tricks."  Nowhere  else  on  the  continent  may  one  alight 
from  a  railway  train  and  with  so  little  effort  or  experi- 
ence find  himself  upon  the  eternal  ice  of  a  glacier.  In 
few  localities  may  one  step  from  the  train  to  the  midst  of 
such  a  galaxy  of  mountain  marvels. 

It  is  usually  recorded  that  the  Swiss  guides  were 
brought  to  Canada  by  the  Canadian  Pacific  rail-way  com- 
pany soon  after  they  built  their  resort  hotels  in  the  moun- 
tains. In  reality,  the  present  guides  are  the  sons  of  those 
who  came  to  the  new  country  after  the  rails  had  been 
laid.  Their  elders  have  returned  to  their  own  Alps  and 
the  second  and  third  generation  of  mountaineers  now 
dwells  in  the  chalets  at  the  litde  settlement  called  "  Edel- 


262  Sunset  Canada 

vveiss,"  which  was  prompted  by  a  desire  to  make  the  visi- 
tors feel  "  at  home,"  in  summer  and  in  winter. 

The  principal  "  sight  "  of  Glacier  is,  of  course,  the  ice 
field  from  which  the  station  takes  its  name.  While  it  is 
unnecessary  to  cover  the  trail  in  the  company  of  a  Swiss 
guide  it  is  a  fine  experience  to  do  so,  and  as  one  plants 
his  pick  in  the  ice,  to  hear  a  popular  as  well  as  somewhat 
technical  explanation  of  the  seracs,  moraines,  tables  and 
neve  concerning  which  every  one  has  scraps  of  informa- 
tion, but  which  looms  in  interest  as  the  beholder  is  con- 
fronted by  the  ponderous  giant  creeping  into  the  valley. 
The  afore-mentioned  government  Guide  declares  that 
"  the  present  day  glaciers  which  lie  at  the  head  of  many 
of  the  valleys,  both  in  the  Rockies  and  the  Selkirks,  are 
merely  the  shrunken  remnants  of  the  greater  glaciers  of 
the  Glacial  Period."  Many  observations  have  been  re- 
corded of  the  "  movement  "  of  the  Illecillewaet  Glacier 
within  the  past  few  years  and  from  metal  plates  that  have 
been  left  in  the  rocks  by  surveyors  it  has  been  found  that 
the  ice  has  retreated  a  considerable  distance  since  the 
building  of  the  railroad.  But  the  same  authority  is  cau- 
tious of  forming  premature  opinion  in  this  matter  and 
says  that  "  the  length  of  time  over  which  these  observa- 
tions have  been  made  and  even  since  the  glaciers  were  dis- 
covered, is  so  short  in  comparison  to  the  length  of  time 
that  has  elapsed  since  the  Glacial  Period  was  at  its  maxi- 
mum that  it  is  unsafe  to  base  any  general  conclusions  as  to 
the  stage  at  which  the  ice  now  is,  that  is  to  say  whether 
the  climate  conditions  of  this  part  of  the  earth  are  ad- 
vancing toward  or  retreating  from  a  period  of  glacia- 
tion." 

Christiaan  Haesler,  at  your  service  as  Swiss  guide,  is 
a  native  of  Interlaken  and  a  young  man  who  declares 


Through  Ancient  Gorges  263 

that  he  "  suffocates  "  on  the  prairies.  He  comes  from  a 
race  of  Alpinists,  his  grandfather  having  been  a  guide 
when  the  first  European  tourists  were  beginning  to  make 
ascents  of  difificult  and  remote  peaks  in  Switzerland  "  just 
for  pleasure."  His  father  was  the  first  guide  brought  to 
America  by  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  and  after  a 
long  career  he  returned  to  Switzerland  to  spend  his  life 
in  the  comparative  ease  that  his  previous  labours  had 
made  possible.  Some  of  his  old  patrons  returned,  how- 
ever, and  begged  him  to  accompany  them  as  they  were 
about  to  undertake  a  particularly  perilous  ascent.  He 
held  a  record  for  never  having  met  with  a  serious  acci- 
dent in  his  life;  but  the  last  climb  brought  him  into  the 
pathway  of  a  tremendous  snow-slide.  Trees  were  being 
swept  down  by  the  great  drift,  but  the  elder  Haesler 
managed  to  keep  "afloat"  and  above  the  drifts  that 
would  have  buried  him  and  his  party.  When  the  slide 
stopped,  he  was  picked  up  almost  unconscious  and  was 
found  to  have  suffered  a  broken  leg.  "  That's  nothing," 
he  is  reported  to  have  said  while  it  was  mending;  "  and 
I'm  glad  I  kept  my  head,  because  I  believe  I  was  the 
means  of  saving  the  others.  That's  what  counts."  This 
narrow  escape  from  death  has  apparently  stirred  an  old 
war-horse  to  action,  because  he  writes  to  his  son  that 
when  the  war  is  over  there  will  doubtless  be  an  invasion 
of  Switzerland  by  hordes  of  world's  tourists  and  he  is 
anticipating  taking  up  his  work  again  and  tempting  the 
fates. 

*'  This  is  a  recognized  profession  with  us,  you  under- 
stand," said  Haesler,  Jr.,  when  I  asked  him  how  he 
learned  to  become  a  climber.  *'  We  are  obliged  to  un- 
dergo a  rather  rigid  course  of  training  and  preparation 
in  Switzerland.     I  served  other  guides  as  porter  before 


264  Sunset  Canada 


I  was  permitted  to  take  my  examinations,  although  I  had 
been  climbing  mountains  all  my  life.  Then,  when  I  was 
ready,  an  examining  board  appointed  by  the  Alpine  Club 
and  consisting  of  several  scientists  as  well  as  profes- 
sional climbers,  gave  me  my  final  tests.  I  passed  and 
received  my  license  from  the  government  when  I  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  But,  you  see,  it  was  natural 
for  me,  it  was  in  the  family." 

"  When  you  first  arrived  in  the  Rockies  was  it  neces- 
sary for  you  to  make  '  trial '  trips  over  all  the  trails  where 
you  were  later  to  take  tourists?  "  I  asked. 

"  Certainly  not !  I  never  made  any  trips  until  I  had 
patrons.  All  mountains  are  the  same  in  essentials;  Alps 
or  Rockies,  Andes  or  Himalayas.  The  principal  thing  is 
to  know  your  business  on  one  mountain  and  then  you'll 
know  it  on  another.  Now  you  have  asked  me  ques- 
tions, let  me  ask  one:  how  do  people  ever  spend  their 
lives  on  the  prairie?  If  they  live  there,  they  could  come 
to  the  mountains  for  a  part  of  each  year,  or  I  suppose 
some  of  them  could  who  do  not  do  so,  and  I  can't  under- 
stand it.  People  should  live  in  mountains  twelve  months 
of  the  year,  I  believe,  and  then  mountain-climbing  is  the 
best  exercise  and  recreation  in  the  world,  if  they  want 
to  enjoy  a  holiday." 

A  trip  of  barely  secondary  interest  to  that  which  leads 
to  the  Great  Glacier  is  the  trail  that  leads  to  the  Nakimu 
Caves,  a  series  of  caverns  that  were  discovered  by  a 
British  prospector  and  hunter,  Charles  Henry  Deutsch- 
man,  in  1904.  The  region  was  soon  explored  in  com- 
pany with  the  discoverer  and  described  by  the  Dominion 
topographer,  A.  O.  Wheeler,  in  part  as  follows :  "  At 
the  time  of  the  first  exploration  the  writer  took  acetylene 
bicycle  lamps  whose  bull's-eyes  enabled  the  pitch  darkness 


CHRISTIAAX   HAESLER.   SWISS  GUIDE. 


Through  Ancient  Gorges 265 

to  be  pierced  to  some  extent.  Magnesium  wire  also  was 
lighted,  and,  by  its  aid,  for  a  brief  minute,  the  interior 
was  bathed  in  dazzling  brightness.  Standing  on  a  nar- 
row ledge  that  overhangs  a  black  abyss,  the  eye  is  first 
drawn  by  a  subterranean  waterfall  heard  roaring  imme- 
diately on  the  left.  It  appears  to  pour  from  a  dark  open- 
ing above  it.  Below,  between  black  walls  of  rock,  may 
be  seen  the  foam-flecked  torrent  hurtling  down  the  incline 
until  lost  in  dense  shadows.  Overhead,  fantastic  spurs 
and  shapes  reach  out  into  the  blackness  and  the  entire 
surroundings  are  so  weird  and  uncanny  that  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  Dante  seated  upon  one  of  these  spurs  deriving 
impressions  for  his  Inferno.  As  the  brilliant  light  goes 
out  the  thick  darkness  makes  itself  felt,  and  instinctively 
you  feel  to  see  if  Charon  is  not  standing  beside  you. 
This  subterranean  stream,  with  its  unearthly  surround- 
ings, is  somewhat  suggestive  of  the  Styx,  and  incidentally 
supplied  the  name  '  Avernus  '  for  the  cavern  of  the  water- 
fall. ...  On  making  its  exit  at  the  eastern  end  of 
Gopher  Bridge,  Cougar  Creek  pours  down  a  narrow  rock 
cup  for  a  distance  of  three  hundred  fifty  feet,  when  it 
again  disappears  in  a  whirl  of  flying  spray  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  valley.  It  reappears  three  hundred  feet 
further  on  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  gorge,  having  dropped 
eighty-five  feet  while  underground.  .  .  .  The  rock-cut 
above  referred  to  is  narrow,  about  eight  to  ten  feet  wide, 
and  of  regular  appearance.  The  upper  half  presents  a 
series  of  cascades  and  falls  and  the  sides  show  curious 
small  potholes  that  are  in  the  process  of  erosion  from 
the  soft  limestone.  It  has  been  named  *  The  Flume ' 
owing  to  its  resemblance  to  a  millrace.  .  .  .  Above  the 
center  of  the  flume,  and  thirty  feet  from  it,  is  the  entrance 
to  the  Mill  Bridge  series  of  the  caves.     This  entrance  is 


266  Sunset  Canada 


a  mere  cleft  in  the  rock  strata  and  is  only  wide  enough 
to  admit  of  the  passage  of  a  man's  body.  The  total 
length  of  the  underground  passageway,  accommodating 
a  very  considerable  volume  of  water,  is  four  hundred  feet. 
The  height  varies  from  a  minimum  of  ten  feet  to  a  maxi- 
mum of  twenty-five  feet,  and  the  width  from  three  to 
fifteen  feet.  At  its  eastern  end  it  opens  to  an  irregularly- 
shaped  chamber  of  approximately  sixty  by  seventy  feet, 
with  a  greatest  height  of  twenty  feet.  This  chamber  has 
been  named  '  The  Auditorium  '  by  the  first  exploring 
party.  .  .  .  Faint  daylight  enters  through  the  passage- 
way of  the  waters  and  serves  to  make  the  surroundings 
look  dim  and  mysterious.  The  frosts  of  winter  also 
reach  this  spot,  and  in  the  spring  stalactites  and  stalag- 
mites, formed  of  huge  icicles,  are  seen  in  columnar  groups 
surrounding  the  dashing  waters  and  extending  some  dis- 
tance into  the  chamber  itself.  .  .  .  The  exit  of  Cougar 
Creek  from  Mill  Bridge  takes  place  at  the  bottom  of  a 
narrow  crack  or  gorge,  running  at  right  angles  to  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  the  stream.  The  gorge  is  three  hundred 
feet  in  length,  about  fifty  feet  wide,  and  is  spanned  by 
two  natural  rock  bridges.  ...  On  emerging  from  its 
subterranean  course  beneath  Mill  Bridge,  the  creek  flows 
through  the  gorge  eight  feet  below  the  floor  of  the  val- 
ley. At  the  lower  or  north  end  is  the  opening  that  leads 
to  the  largest  and  most  interesting  of  the  series  of  pas- 
sageways forming  the  Nakimu  Caves.  The  gorge  forms 
a  very  striking  feature  of  the  external  scenery  and  sev- 
eral places  are  accessible  from  which  views  may  be  had 
into  its  depths  that  are  wild  and  impressive  in  the  ex- 
treme. The  opening  is  a  dome-shaped  break  in  the  wall 
forming  the  north  end.  Into  this  the  stream  tumbles 
with  wild  fury  over  a  confusion  of  huge  fragments  of 


Through  Ancient  Gorges  267 

rock  piled  up  in  the  passageway.  It  creates  leaps  and 
falls  and  a  dissemination  of  spray  that  makes  the  opening 
to  the  outer  world,  as  seen  from  below,  appear  through 
a  luminous  mist.  The  aperture  is  some  thirty  feet  wide 
and  about  the  same  height.  .  .  .  The  Ballroom  is  roughly 
triangular  in  shape  with  sides  of  about  sixty  feet,  and  an 
estimated  height  of  fifty  feet.  The  largest  portion  of 
the  space  is  occupied  by  an  enormous  rock  that  has  fallen 
from  the  roof.  This  rock  has  a  generally  level  surface, 
and  is  just  the  spot  where  a  group  of  witch-hags  might 
be  expected  to  caper  round  the  ghastly  fumes  of  some 
hellish  caldron  at  a  Sabbath  meeting;  hence  the  name  in 
sympathy  with  the  ill-omened  and  weird  surroundings." 
The  above  are  only  a  few  of  the  enchanting  vaults  and 
chambers  in  the  full  series  of  caves,  however,  and  one 
may  well  spend  an  entire  day  or  more  in  visiting  them. 
There  are :  the  Carbonate  Grotto ;  the  White  Grotto ;  the 
Art  Gallery;  the  Gimlet;  the  Bridal  Chamber;  the  Ice 
Cave,  and  several  others  that  already  have  been  named  by 
the  discoverer  and  various  explorers  who  are  constantly 
adding  to  the  list.  The  Indian  word  Nakimu  means 
*'  Grumbling,"  on  account  of  the  sounds  of  waterfalls, 
which  resemble  the  sound  that  comes  from  a  mill  in  full 
operation.  The  geologists  believe  that  the  age  of  the 
caves  is  about  thirty-eight  thousand  years,  assuming  that 
the  rate  of  erosion  has  been  about  one  thirty-seconds  of 
an  inch  per  annum.  The  distance  to  the  Nakimu  Caves 
from  Glacier  House  by  way  of  the  wagon  road,  Illecille- 
waet  River  and  Cougar  Creek,  is  seven  miles ;  by  horse 
trail  via  Rogers  Pass  over  the  summit  of  Baloo  Pass  to 
the  Caves  the  distance  is  three  miles  further.  Baloo 
Pass  is  six  thousand  odd  feet  above  sea  level  and  from 
the  summit  is  an  extensive  view,  including  not  only  the 


268  Sunset  Canada 


Hermit  Range  and  Macdonald,  but  the  Dawson  Peaks, 
Bishop  Range  and  the  mountains  that  girt  Cougar  Valley. 

The  railroad  formerly  crept  around  a  shelf  of  moun- 
tain on  the  rim  of  the  great  stone  basin  and  arrived  at 
Glacier's  front  door.  It  was  feared  that  while  the 
company  might  profit  from  eliminating  this  difficult  grade 
and  engineering  feat  that  had  cost  a  fortune  to  construct, 
the  effect  of  the  removal  might  be  detrimental  to  the 
hotel.  Many  travelers  who  had  not  heard  of  the  natural 
beauties  of  the  place  became  enchanted  by  what  they  saw 
from  the  car  windows  and  resolved  to  make  a  stop-over, 
thus  becoming  hotel  guests;  but  there  has  been  no  de- 
cline in  patronage.  Tourists  are  delighted  with  the  two- 
mile  tallyho  drive  through  the  pine  forest  from  the  sta- 
tion to  the  hotel  and  there  is  a  quiet  seclusion  that  was 
impossible  to  maintain  when  the  rails  were  so  near.  And 
now  that  fears  in  this  matter  have  disappeared,  a  tre- 
mendous project  has  been  suggested  that  would  give 
Glacier  an  additional  asset  as  a  tourist  resort  and  would 
be  difficult  to  rival  elsewhere  on  the  continent.  The 
rails  are  being  removed  from  the  serpentine  mountain- 
shelf  all  the  way  to  Rogers  Pass;  but  the  roadbed  re- 
mains. It  is  located  within  the  vast  Dominion  Park,  so 
the  proposal  is  for  the  government  to  make  this  roadbed 
into  an  automobile  highway,  thus  making  it  possible  to 
view  many  of  nature's  wonderworks  during  a  brief  mo- 
tor car  excursion. 

The  guest  at  Glacier  imagines  that  it  must  be  spring- 
time, even  when  the  August  sun  shines  warm  and  when 
the  foilage  begins  to  turn  in  September.  The  fountains 
from  glacial  streams  are  continually  playing  on  the  wide 
green  lawn  and  there  is  a  profusion  of  blossoms  in  the 
gardens ;  still  the  nights  are  chilly  and  there  is  steam  heat 


Through  Ancient  Gorges 269 

in  the  hotel's  radiators  throughout  the  summer  months. 
Far  along  toward  the  end  of  June  I  have  seen  huge  drifts 
of  the  last  winter's  snow  banked  around  the  northern  and 
western  sides  of  the  hotel;  but,  at  the  same  time,  on  the 
verandas  were  hanging-baskets  of  geraniums  in  full 
flower.  Four  or  five  feet  of  snow  less  than  three  yards 
away  from  them ;  but  the  plants  were  uninjured.  It  was 
a  delightful  paradox  in  this  huge  basin  of  the  unusual. 

A  good  trail  leads  from  the  hotel  to  the  Asulkan  Gla- 
cier, affording  splendid  views  from  the  Asulkan  Pass, 
which  is  over  seven  thousand  feet  in  the  air.  Other  ex- 
cursions that  are  popular  with  tourists  are  to  Glacier  Crest 
and  Lake  Marion.  The  summit  of  Mount  Abbot  is  a 
day's  climb,  but  not  counted  a  difficult  peak.  Easy  trails 
lead  up  to  Eagle  Peak  and  the  top  of  Mount  Avalanche. 
The  Cascade  Pavilion  sits  upon  the  latter,  visible  from  the 
hotel  veranda,  but  a  thousand  feet  upward  and  easily 
reached  by  "  pony  express  "  in  about  three  hours.  Gla- 
cier offers  hours,  days  and  weeks  of  excursions  for  one 
who  has  the  leisure  to  enjoy  them. 

Immediately  the  train  leaves  the  little  chalet  station  it 
plunges  into  the  longest  tunnel  in  North  America  which 
pierces  Mount  Macdonald.  From  portal  to  portal  it 
measures  five  miles,  eliminates  over  four  miles  of  rail 
by  the  old  route,  reduces  the  elevation  of  the  road  five 
hundred  and  fifty-two  feet,  and  by  its  straight  shaft  cuts 
through  where  several  circles  were  formerly  necessary. 
The  train  arrives  at  Beavermouth,  now  a  distance  of 
sixty-three  miles  from  Revelstoke;  one  hundred  and 
sixty-three  miles  by  the  river  which  formerly  marked  the 
channel  and  pathway. 

The  next  station  of  importance,  after  coming  close  to 
the  Columbia  River  and  emerging  from  the  canyon,  is 


270  Sunset  Canada 


Golden,  a  prosperous  mining  town,  point  of  departure 
for  big  game  hunters  and  the  junction  for  the  branch 
south  to  the  Windermere  country  and  the  Crow's  Nest. 
The  city  nestles  between  the  Rockies  and  the  Selkirks  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Columbia  and  Kicking  Horse  rivers 
and  is  capable  of  development  in  various  directions:  as 
a  tourist  resort,  the  agricultural  center  of  a  territory  of 
eight  hundred  thousand  acres,  or  as  a  purely  manufactur- 
ing town  with  nearby  waterfalls  capable  of  aggregating 
thirty  thousand  horsepower.  At  the  present  time  it  is 
passed  by  the  traveler,  which  is  likely  to  be  the  case  until 
the  contemplated  tourist  hotel  is  built. 

As  the  train  leaves  Golden  it  quickly  passes  into  the 
tremendous  Kicking  Horse  Canyon,  with  cliffs  so  high 
that  they  seem  to  shut  out  the  light,  a  heavy  tree  growth, 
and  rushing  waters  echoing  against  granite  walls.  The 
passage  through  this  vast  chasm  is  considered  by  many 
people  to  be  one  of  the  notable  hours  of  the  entire 
journey  through  the  mountains.  An  abrupt  turn  in  the 
river  reveals  Mount  Hunter  between  the  Ottertail  and 
Beaverfoot  Ranges.  Just  before  reaching  Leancholl,  the 
Canadian  National  Park  is  reached.  In  the  distance  is 
seen  Mount  Goodsir  towering  to  over  eleven  thousand 
feet,  and  the  Beaverfoot  River  comes  foaming  into  the 
Kicking  Horse.  There  has  been  a  long  discussion  in 
regard  to  how  the  latter  received  its  name.  Many  writers 
have  maintained  that  it  was  named  for  its  mighty  rush 
among  the  rocks,  the  antics  of  a  kicking  horse  or  pony. 
The  popular  legend,  however,  is  that  an  engineer  named 
Randolph  received  a  severe  kick  from  a  horse  while  going 
through  the  Pass.  Three  ribs  were  broken,  and  as  he 
was  unconscious  the  Indians  supposed  that  he  was  dead 
and  dug  his  grave.     While  he  was  being  carried  thither, 


Through  Ancient  Gorges 271 

he  regained  consciousness  and  asked  his  bearers  what 
they  thought  they  were  doing,  whereupon  the  Red  Men 
christened  the  place  Kicking  Horse  Pass.  Another  story 
is  that  when  a  long  pack  train  was  following  the  river,  two 
bronchos  went  on  a  rampage  and  confused  the  train  so 
that  hoofs  flew  out  in  all  directions.  The  Indians  later 
spoke  of  the  Pass  as  "The  place  where  the  horses  kicked," 
which  in  time  became  condensed  into  Kicking  Horse  Pass. 
The  Kicking  Horse  broadens  into  wide  flats  that  in 
summer  are  barely  covered  with  water,  scarcely  indica- 
tive of  what  is  soon  to  follow  in  its  course.  And  when 
one  receives  the  impression  that  he  is  coming  upon  nature 
in  much  gentler  mood  he  glances  ahead  and  in  solemn 
majesty  there  arises  the  isolated  Gibraltar  known  as 
Mount  Stephen,  the  highest  mountain  close  to  the  rails 
of  the  Canadian  Pacific  railway.  The  train  stops  —  and 
so  do  most  of  the  travelers.  They  have  arrived  at  Field, 
where  is  located  what  is  usually  called  "  The  Grand- 
mother of  the  Canadian  Mountain  Hotels." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

AMONG    LAKES    IN    THE    CLOUDS 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  wrote :  "  Listen  to  far-off  bells, 
you  can  find  in  their  confused  clang  the  very  names  and 
words  you  lack." 

Sitting  on  the  balcony  of  the  Mount  Stephen  House  I 
came  across  these  words  and  I  wished  that  bronze  gongs 
might  chime  from  any  of  the  peaks  in  the  neighbourhood 
and  come  to  my  assistance.  But  I  waited  in  vain  and  be- 
came convinced  that  all  men  must  lack  the  words  that 
might  convey  an  adequate  description  of  the  place  to  one 
who  has  never  beheld  it.  Perhaps  Leonardo's  words  are 
true ;  perhaps  the  clanging  of  bells  and  their  echoes  from 
these  lofty  heights  and  through  these  colossal  valleys  are 
what  is  necessary,  because  it  is  certain  that  no  writer  has 
found  words  to  describe  their  grandeur.  Even  the  ver- 
bal enthusiast  among  these  beautiful  scenes  finds  himself 
dumb,  the  pen  halts  and  the  writer  concludes  that  it  may 
be  better  to  attempt  no  description.  Whole  volumes  writ- 
ten by  trained  mountaineers  have  failed  to  tell  the  story, 
long  and  familiar  acquaintance  with  several  individuals 
in  the  various  mountain  groups  has  served  no  useful  pur- 
pose; and  the  valleys  decline  to  reveal  their  awesome 
mysteries,  even  when  one  has  dwelt  among  them  for 
weeks,  communed  with  them,  feasted  upon  their  never- 
ending  charms,  made  comrades  of  them  day  and  night. 
The  solemn  majesty  of  it  all  remains  as  it  was  in  the 

272 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  273 

beginning,  an  unfathomable  and  indescribable  miracle 
concerning  which  even  the  scientists  disagree  as  to  main 
facts.  The  geologists  have  found  no  Rosetta  Stone  to 
guide  them  in  a  full  understanding  and  interpretation  of 
the  story.  Perhaps  the  layman  grasps  the  futility  of  at- 
tempting the  impossible  as  the  scientist  cannot ;  to  the  for- 
mer the  district  is  a  problem  of  the  fourth  dimension  wait- 
ing to  be  solved,  but  to  the  latter  the  scientific  mysteries 
are  not  apparent.  Field  and  its  neighbourhood  are  sim- 
ply a  profusion  of  never-failing  delights  to  the  lay  trav- 
eler and  he  asks  nothing  more. 

Mount  Stephen,  the  gigantic  pillar  at  the  town's  thresh- 
old, is  said  to  be  "  the  most  climbed  mountain  in  the 
Canadian  Switzerland."  Had  it  been  located  somewhere 
in  the  antique  world  there  would  be  volumes  of  epics  pre- 
serving its  legends.  It  would  have  been  the  abiding-place 
of  the  gods,  the  High  Place  of  pilgrimage.  Perhaps  the 
world's  most  celebrated  sacrificial  altar  would  have  been 
upon  its  summit.  Raising  its  towering  bulk  in  the  un- 
known regions  of  the  New  World,  it  almost  awaited  dis- 
covery by  the  railroad  builders  who  followed  a  pathway 
around  its  base  and  made  it  a  future  joy  for  the  world's 
people.  Stephen  is  superb  when  viewed  in  any  light.  I 
have  seen  it  at  night  when  it  seemed  to  be  an  approach- 
ing cloud  brushing  across  the  earth,  levelling  everything 
in  its  wake.  I  have  observed  it  at  dawn,  noon  and  at  sun- 
set; once  it  appeared  to  be  a  huge  block  of  yellow  ochre 
when  the  morning  light  flashed  over  its  walls,  at  noon  it 
w^as  pink,  and  then  at  night  the  reddish  tints  dissolved  and 
a  mantle  of  purplish-blue  was  spread  over  its  form.  It  is 
frightful  in  its  majesty  when  one  first  beholds  it,  but  on 
closer  acquaintance  it  has  a  compelling  friendliness,  an 
alluring  attractiveness   that  compels   admiration.     One 


274  Sunset  Canada 

hesitates  when  contemplating  the  ascent,  if  he  recall 
weary  muscles  from  earlier  adventures  among  the  peaks, 
for  Stephen  seems  to  tower  above  the  others  on  account 
of  its  isolation;  but  a  forty-eight  hour  visit  to  Field 
usually  decides  the  inquiry  in  the  traveler's  mind  and  he 
answers  in  the  affirmative.  He  falls  a  victim  to  the  mag- 
netic appeal.  "  I  will "  he  declares,  and  early  in  the 
morning  he  starts  out  to  follow  the  trail  to  the  lofty  crest 
in  the  clouds.  The  ascent  usually  requires  about  ten 
hours  and  one  should  plan  to  leave  the  hotel  soon  after 
dawn,  carry  a  lunch  and  return  to  the  hotel  limb-weary 
no  doubt,  but  with  an  unexpected  appetite  for  dinner. 

This  will  be  the  most  strenuous  among  the  number  of 
days  that  the  tourist  allots  to  the  stop-over  at  Field. 
Plans  have  been  made  for  his  comfort  and  he  may  mount 
a  saddle  or  lounge  in  the  cushioned  seat  of  a  carriage 
when  visiting  most  of  the  wonders  of  the  region.  First 
place  among  the  regular  tours  is  to  Emerald  Lake,  which 
lies  only  seven  miles  away,  the  return  drive  being  accom- 
plished with  ease  in  a  half  day.  The  road  winds  around 
the  spurs  of  Mount  Burgess,  through  a  splendid  spruce 
forest  along  "  Snow  Peak  Avenue,"  a  straight  highway 
for  over  a  mile,  to  the  placid  water  in  the  bowl  among 
the  mountains.  On  the  way  the  Natural  Bridge  is 
crossed,  there  are  foaming  rapids  just  over  the  brink; 
and  one  may  be  fortunate  enough  to  witness  the  slide  of 
a  distant  avalanche  if  the  time  is  the  early  summer  when 
the  sun  has  loosened  the  ice  claws  by  which  great  drifts 
hang  to  the  mountain-side.  At  Emerald  Lake  is  a  com- 
fortable chalet  hotel  owned  and  operated  by  the  railroad. 
It  is  set  in  a  basin  of  ten-thousand  feet  peaks,  a  delightful 
retreat  in  which  to  spend  a  few  days  and  nights.  A  fine 
evening  excursion  from  Field  is  to  the  Bridge  where  the 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  275 

Kicking  Horse  River  has  built  a  span  across  the  river 
torrent  by  the  action  of  its  waters  against  the  limestone 
rock. 

The  Ottertail  Drive  is  another  half -day  excursion  to  the 
Alpine  flower  fields  of  the  Ottertail  Range,  where  a  fine 
view  may  be  gained  of  the  Van  Home  peaks.  This  trip 
also  offers  an  unequalled  opportunity  to  observe  the  Kick- 
ing Horse  Canyon  and  takes  the  tourist  over  the  high- 
est traffic  bridge  in  the  Canadian  Rockies. 

The  amateur  geologist  who  does  not  make  the  ascent 
to  the  summit  of  Mount  Stephen  will  be  interested  in 
taking  the  pony  trail  twenty-six  hundred  feet  above  the 
railway,  where  in  a  lentile  of  shale  there  is  a  fossil-bed 
from  which  thirty-two  species  of  tribolites  and  brachio- 
pods  have  been  determined.  As  a  horse-owner  re- 
marked :  "  There  are  fossils  enough  for  everybody  up 
there,"  and  all  who  desire  to  do  so  may  find  them,  and 
a  new  fossil-bed  has  been  recently  discovered  on  the 
same  mountain  which  makes  the  "  supply "  practically 
limitless.  These  beds  contain  the  shell  impressions  of 
marine  animals  which  lived  in  the  sea  that  at  one  time 
covered  the  present  site  of  the  mountains.  When  the 
animals  died  their  shells  were  covered  with  sediment  and 
impressions  of  them  were  preserved,  thus  providing  an 
insight  into  conditions  of  life  in  the  Middle  Cambrian 
Age. 

The  de  luxe  exhibit  adjacent  to  Field  is  the  celebrated 
Yoho  Valley.  Aware  of  its  importance  and  desiring  to 
make  its  beauties  visible  to  the  largest  number  of  people, 
the  railroad  conducts  a  three-day  camping  tour  that  in- 
creases in  popularity  each  season  and  may  one  day  become 
impracticable  owing  to  the  large  numbers  of  people  desir- 
ing accommodation.     In  time,  no  doubt,  hotels  will  rise 


276  Sunset  Canada 


where  tents  are  now  pitched  in  the  summer  season. 
Fashionably-gowned  women  will  be  promenading  the 
verandas  and  their  escorts  will  be  experiencing  compara- 
tively small  relief  from  the  tedium  of  offices  and  busy 
city  streets.  It  will  then  be  a  holiday  ground  for  the 
men  and  women  who  enjoy  the  crowded  hotels  at  sea 
beaches,  board  walks  and  balls.  The  scenery  will  still 
be  there,  the  never-to-be-forgotten  scenery ;  but  the  place 
will  have  lost  much  of  the  natural  and  rugged  charm 
which  it  now  possesses.  One  feels  rather  envious  of  all 
who  have  the  fortune  to  make  the  trip  as  it  is  conducted 
at  the  present  time;  almost  a  feeling  of  pity  for  those 
who  will  come  in  future  days  of  the  hotels.  White- 
tops  amid  these  pines,  glaciers  and  cataracts  seem  more 
appropriate  than  hotel  roofs  when  viewed  from  a  dis- 
tance ;  a  camp  in  the  Yoho  Valley  seems  to  be  something 
more  wonderful  than  a  hotel  can  be,  even  though  it  be 
erected  beneath  the  Takakkaw  cataract  itself,  with  veran- 
das commanding  a  view  of  much  that  is  difficult  to  equal 
for  superlative  grandeur  elsewhere.  The  falls  are  the 
highest  in  America,  eight  times  as  high  as  Niagara,  and 
yet  the  falls  are  but  one  of  the  attractions  that  make 
the  three-day  excursion  unusual.  From  Field  the  pony 
trail  skirts  Emerald  Lake  and  leads  to  Summit  Lake, 
where  lunch  is  served,  followed  by  a  brief  rest  before 
the  ascent  to  Lookout  Point,  where  a  view  is  obtained  of 
the  Wapta  Glacier,  Takakkaw  Falls,  and  the  long  sw^eep 
of  the  Yoho  Valley.  From  here  the  bridle  path  leads 
down  to  what  is  known  as  the  Upper  Camp  at  the  head 
of  the  Yoho,  where  the  first  night  is  spent.  It  is  not 
upon  a  bed  of  pine  needles,  there  is  no  bacon  and  flap- 
jack breakfast  beloved  of  the  w^oodman.  none  of  that  de- 
lightful building  of  camp-fires,  scurrying  for  dry  fuel 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  277 

and  blissful  "  discomforts "  of  the  camper  who  goes 
further  afield  on  his  own  responsibility;  but  there  is 
splendidly  appointed  camping  equipment,  luxurious  fare 
for  the  wilderness,  and  one  has  not  the  slightest  reason 
for  doubt  that  all  will  move  in  clock-like  precision  so 
far  as  creature-comforts  being  amply  provided  for  him 
are  concerned.  Competent  guides  and  servants  who 
know  exactly  what  is  expected  from  them  and  who  have 
learned  by  experience  exactly  what  is  possible  to  make 
the  tourist's  pilgrimage  a  pleasant  detail  of  his  entire 
tour  of  the  mountains,  move  by  schedule  and  arrange 
everything.  One  has  but  to  sit  in  a  saddle,  follow  the 
leader,  eat  his  meals,  and  sleep  in  comfort.  There  is  no 
suggestion  of  hardship  nor  discomfort,  and  there  is  a 
constant  feast  for  the  eyes.  Gentle  and  gentlemanly  in- 
dividuals these  guides!  They  are  men  who  would  deal 
gently  with  a  suffering  dog;  most  of  them  would  prob- 
ably hesitate  before  shooting  an  animal  unless  they  wanted 
it  for  food.  But  experience  has  taught  them  and  their 
employers  that  the  much  heralded  "  Wild  West  "  must 
not  entirely  lose  its  wildness  if  it  comes  up  to  tourist's 
expectations.  So  they  make  up  as  skilfully  as  actors  do 
and  in  their  weird,  brilliant  costumes,  hats,  chaps,  spurs 
and  perhaps  manner  of  speaking  which  has  been  care- 
fully cultivated  to  be  used  when  required,  there  survives 
the  "  atmosphere  "  of  the  theatrical  West,  that  legend- 
ary region  which  is  peopled  with  men  and  women  whose 
portraits  appear  upon  the  covers  of  popular  magazines. 
"  We  are  starting  for  the  Yoho  Valley  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," said  a  young  lady  to  me  as  we  met  on  the  hotel 
veranda.  "  We  have  just  been  talking  things  over  with 
our  guide.  He  is  a  very  devil  of  a  fellow,  as  wild  as  they 
make  them  out  here,  I  guess.     It  almost  frightens  us  when 


278  Sunset  Canada 


we  think  that  we  shall  trust  ourselves  to  him  for  three 
days.     I'll  bet  that  man  has  a  record!  " 

The  young  gentleman  referred  to  was  just  leaving  the 
hotel.  He  strutted  down  the  walk  with  a  devil-may-care 
stride.  He  wore  magenta-pinkish  chaps,  a  red  silk  'ker- 
chief was  knotted  about  his  throat,  and  a  combrero  with 
a  wide  band  of  Indian  bead-work  —  perhaps  at  one  time 
a  belt  —  was  perched  on  one  side  of  his  head.  "  Per- 
haps a  good  motion  picture  star  was  lost  when  that 
man  became  a  Rocky  Mountains  guide,"  I  thought,  but 
I  admit  that  I  said  something  else  to  the  lady,  who  with 
her  pale  husband  v/as  on  her  honeymoon.  Had  I  spoken 
my  thoughts,  her  dream  of  the  romantic  West  might  have 
been  shattered,  which  would  have  been  a  cruel  blunder  on 
my  part,  because  she  was  radiant  with  joy. 

As  it  chanced,  I  was  on  the  station  platform  that  night 
when  the  east-bound  train  arrived.  The  young  guide  was 
there,  much  admired  and  commented  upon  by  tourists 
who  were  departing.  As  a  young  woman  and  certainly 
their  little  child  stepped  from  the  car,  they  were  met  by 
this  "  very  devil  of  a  fellow,"  who  gathered  the  two  of 
them  in  his  arms  and  spoke  to  them  as  gently  as  any 
husband  and  father  from  the  efTete  East  could  have 
done  as  they  passed  along  and  were  lost  in  the  crowd. 

A  third  time  I  saw  this  conspicuously  dressed  individ- 
ual, so  quickly  observed  in  a  crowd.  It  was  the  follow- 
ing morning.  His  "  party,"  the  honeymooners  from 
New  York,  were  in  the  saddle.  The  guide,  "  wild  as 
they  make  them,"  sat  jauntily  astride  his  restless  pony, 
still  as  cleverly  playing  his  role  as  any  actor  of  the  theatri- 
cal stage  could  have  done.  I  waved  them  farewell  and 
the  bride  threw  me  a  wistful  glance.  I  am  certain  that 
she  was  not  certain  that  they  were  acting  wisely  in  going 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  279 

beyond  "  civilization  "  alone  with  this  man  for  whom  she 
had  created  a  romantic  "  record." 

After  a  night  in  the  Upper  Camp  the  trail  leads  past 
Twin  Falls  and  Laughing  Falls  and  slowly  descends  the 
mountain  to  the  foot  of  Takakkaw  Falls,  where  supper 
and  another  camp  await  the  riders.  On  the  third  day 
the  return  trip  is  make  over  Burgess  Pass  and  down  the 
southern  slope  of  Mount  Field  into  the  Kicking  Horse 
Valley.  At  Surprise  Point  the  traveler  suddenly  beholds 
Field,  Emerald  Lake  and  the  Bow  and  Yoho  Valleys. 

There  are  several  other  "  favourite  "  excursions  from 
Field  and  the  list  is  being  added  to  each  season  with 
the  arrival  of  mountaineers  who  seem  always  looking 
for  new  ascents.  Most  of  them  long  ago  covered  the 
"  routine  tours  "  of  this  fascinating  neighbourhood,  and 
while  they  come  back  with  the  enthusiasm  of  first-timers 
they  follow  different  canyons  to  peaks  not  before  reached 
by  them,  and  though  it  seems  that  by  this  time  the  entire 
Rocky  Mountain  system  has  been  "  covered,"  some  one 
more  daring  or  energetic  than  the  crowd  frequently  brings 
tidings  of  a  "  new  "  lake  "  just  beyond  "  one  of  the  old 
trails,  a  "  new  "  and  better  trail  to  a  certain  peak,  or 
another  cataract  that  does  not  appear  in  tourists'  cata- 
logues. Another  pony  journey  of  three  days,  upon  which 
one  must  carry  his  own  equipment  —  provided  by  the 
guides  —  is  to  O'Hara  Lake  and  McArthur  Lake.  W. 
D.  Wilcox  in  The  Rocky  Mountains  of  Canada,  gives 
O'Hara,  Lake  first  place  among  all  bodies  of  water 
above  the  clouds.  "  In  all  the  mountain  wilderness  the 
most  complete  picture  of  natural  beauty,"  he  declares,  and 
again:  "  of  all  the  finer  lakes,  O'Hara  presents  the  great- 
est variety  of  pleasing  views."  McArthur  Lake  is  over 
seven  thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  a  pocket  of  clear 


280  Sunset  Canada 


water  over  two  miles  in  length,  fed  by  a  glacier  from 
which  icebergs  break  and  float  in  a  manner  that  gives  it 
what  Wilcox  calls  a  "  thoroughly  Ar<:tic  "  appearance. 

As  the  railway  circles  around  Mount  Stephen,  starting 
eastward  from  Field,  the  tourist  feels  that  he  has  ar- 
rived close  to  the  third-act  climax  of  the  great  mountain 
drama.  A  backward  glance  at  the  fading  city  gives  a 
better  impression  of  its  splendid  location  than  it  was 
possible  to  gain  upon  arrival.  The  train  performs  some 
remarkable  feats  in  its  last  great  ascent  towards  the  roof 
of  the  Canadian  Rockies  and  arrives  at  Hector,  which  is 
five  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  feet  in  the 
air  and  named  after  Sir  James  Hector,  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway.  Just  beyond  this 
point  there  is  a  large  arch  of  logs,  which  in  two-feet  high 
rustic  letters  announces  arrival  at  The  Great  Divide. 
The  train  does  not  stop;  but  one  realizes  the  wonderful 
moment  as  he  glances  at  the  trickling  stream  flowing 
over  gravel  and  small  pebbks  at  the  train-side.  Its 
course  is  westward  and  in  time  its  waters  will  join  other 
streams  and  reach  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Another  glance. 
The  rustic  sign-post  has  been  passed.  There  is  another 
stream  flowing  over  the  pebbles,  and  it  is  flowing  towards 
the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  train  reaches  Stephen  and  the 
great  descent  begins.  There  are  twists  and  curves, 
other  ascents  around  rock  masses  that  lie  in  the  direct 
pathway,  there  are  halts  by  the  way  and  it  is  a  long  dis- 
tance ahead,  just  as  it  was  a  long  approach  up  the 
great  granite  stairway  from  the  Pacific;  but  the  tourist 
knows  that  he  has  crossed  the  highest  rock  touched  by  the 
rails ;  he  is  descending  toward  the  plains  of  Alberta !  Al- 
most before  the  mind  is  capable  of  grasping  the  wonder 
of  it  all,  before  he  is  fully  aware  of  its  tremendous  im- 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  281 

portance,  the  traveler  finds  that  the  train  has  arrived  at 
Lake  Louise  Station,  a  log  chalet  over  five  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea.  One  "  changes  cars  "  if  he  make  this 
place  a  stop-over,  and  quickly  finds  himself  and  his  lug- 
gage aboard  a  tram-car.  Perhaps  it  is  July,  even  August, 
but  the  hotel  attendants  caution  new-comers  to  fold  big 
red  blankets  over  their  knees  as  the  car  begins  an  ascent 
of  another  six  hundred  feet  over  glacial  streams,  through 
pine  woods,  a  three-mile  ride  "  that  may  be  chilly  in  the 
open  car."  The  tram- way  leads  to  the  big  entrance  of 
Chateau  Lake  Louise.  The  tourist  has  been  transported 
to  fairyland,  the  Princess  has  brought  him  to  her  castle 
by  the  sapphire  lake ! 

Lake  Louise  and  the  Chateau  are  the  aristocrats  among 
Rocky  Mountains  scenes  and  hotels.  Probably  it  is  the 
ultra- fashionable  resort  of  the  western  part  of  Canada. 
It  is  the  summer  Palm  Beach  and  the  Newport  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  although  this  distinction  is  claimed  by 
other  localities,  the  piece  de  resistance  in  a  sumptuous 
menu.  Just  how  long  the  tourist  should  remain  here 
varies  in  individual  cases,  according  to  purse  and  ward- 
robe. One  thing  is  certain,  however,  it  should  receive  a 
visit  from  every  trans-Canada  traveler  although  he  be  un- 
able to  give  it  more  than  a  passing  glance  between  trains. 
Three  days  are  preferable  to  one,  and  a  week  is  better  than 
three  days.  Lake  Louise  is  essentially  a  place  that  sug- 
gests leisure  —  pony  trails,  tallyho-drives  and  short 
walks,  rather  than  the  more  strenuous  activities  of  the 
Alpinist.  The  train  and  tram  deposit  the  visitor  in  the 
midst  of  charming  views;  it  is  not  imperative  to  leave 
one  of  the  huge  plate-glass  windows  of  a  Chateau  lounge, 
in  reality  not  necessary  to  leave  one's  apartment,  if  he 
arrange  to  be  located  in  one  of  the  towers,  to  feast  his 


282  Sunset  Canada 


eyes  for  many  hours  on  a  rare  landscape.  In  fact,  I 
believe  that  the  first  day  of  the  visit  may  be  most 
profitably  spent  before  a  window  or  upon  the  hotel 
veranda.  In  the  course  of  a  few  silent  hours  in  a  rustic 
chair  it  may  be  possible  to  gain  a  somewhat  compre- 
hensive idea  of  the  picture  which  cannot  reveal  itself 
suddenly  and  which  cannot  be  appreciated  by  one  who 
hurries  forth  for  the  announced  "  excursions "  soon 
after  arrival. 

Perhaps  one  comes  to  understand  better  what  was  in 
his  mind  when  Pater  described  a  landscape  as  "  state 
of  soul."  Dawn  throws  rare  daffodil,  coral  and  amethyst 
tints  over  the  rocks,  snow  and  water.  Each  quarter- 
hour  later  in  the  day  plays  a  new  prank  in  chromatic 
experiment.  Sometimes,  when  the  sun  blazes  at  high 
noon  and  the  sky  seems  white,  I  have  seen  the  v^-ater  of  the 
lake  as  blue  as  sapphire.  When  fleecy  clouds  play  around 
the  sun  the  lake  sometimes  turns  pale  gray  and  the  huge 
rocky  walls  at  its  sides  throw  a  shadow  that  is  a  deep 
myrtle  green.  At  sunset  I  have  seen  the  water  indigo, 
while  the  rocks  were  splotched  with  bright  yellow.  In 
the  moonlight  I  have  seen  the  landscape  from  a  chateau 
window  when  it  looked  as  if  it  were  viewed  through 
Tyrian  purple  gauze.  Always  it  is  fantastic,  because  at 
all  hours  it  is  just  a  little  different  from  other  landscapes. 
One  recalls  the  lady  who  told  the  artist  that  she  had 
never  seen  the  colours  that  he  put  on  a  canvas  sunset  and 
his  reply:  "  I  know  it,  Madam,  but  don't  you  wish  you 
could?  "  One  has  seen  many  canvases  that  represented 
lakes,  snow,  evergreens  and  mountains.  Sometimes  the 
artists  have  depicted  realities;  sometimes  they  have 
painted  things  not  as  they  are,  but  as  they  wish  they 
were.     Louise    the    Magnificent    seems    the    reality    of 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  283 

what  all  who  have  not  seen  it  may  consider  idealization  in 
landscape  painting.  Here  the  master  painter  seems  to 
have  assembled  within  small  compass  everything  that  is 
sublimely  beautiful.  No  human  being  is  capable  of 
grasping  such  realities  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  and 
as  it  is  well  to  have  one's  first  peep  at  Paris  from  the 
balcony  of  the  Eiffel  Tower  so  it  is  advisable  to  arrive 
at  the  Chateau  on  the  night  train,  retire,  awaken  with 
the  sun  and  spend  the  first  day  in  contemplation  of  one  of 
earth's  most  beautiful  amphitheaters  with  a  glance  at 
projecting  prongs  of  white  peaks  beyond  that  insure 
many  happy  excursions  for  the  days  to  follow. 

These  days  may  have  taken  the  visitor  along  the  trails 
that  lead  to  rocky  heights,  beside  avalanches  of  snow  or 
ice,  or  through  heaps  of  logs  piled  high  by  the  landslides, 
he  may  have  wandered  into  rather  distant  valleys,  taking 
lunch  on  mossy  banks  by  crystal  streams,  and  he  may  feel 
that  he  has  tasted  all  the  joys  of  Lake  Louise  and  the 
neighbourhood.  Then  he  may  proceed  a  few  steps  from 
the  Chateau  to  the  boat-landing,  hire  a  rowboat  and  drift 
out  onto  this  fascinating  blue.  It  seems  that  a  few 
strokes  of  the  oar  will  bring  one  to  the  other  end;  but  if 
he  follow  the  shore-line  he  will  find  it  a  ride  of  two  miles 
going  and  two  returning.  He  makes  the  circuit  of  the 
lake  and  frequently  looks  into  the  awful  depths  that  like 
a  mirror  reflect  the  masses  of  stone  that  have  tumbled 
from  the  heights  in  recent  or  distant  days.  The  skiff 
will  enter  little  bays  over  which  there  are  frowning  preci- 
pices that  often  are  obscured  in  clouds.  The  celebrated 
Palisades  of  the  Hudson  seem  pigmy  by  comparison  — 
yet  a  few  more  strokes  of  the  oar  and  he  is  within  arm's 
reach  of  the  mold  where  wild  flowers  grow  in  profusion, 
where  towering  pines,  spruces  and  hemlocks  throw  their 


284  Sunset  Canada 


roots  in  a  tight  grasp  around  boulders  that  at  some  time 
dropped  from  the  great  Victoria  Glacier  which  seems  to 
rise  a  greenish-white  triangle  with  bow  pointed  toward 
the  water.  Lake  Louise  has  been  called  "  liquid  music  " 
and  one  slowly  arrives  at  realization  that  the  appellation 
was  not  a  meaningless  poetic  flight.  The  Indians  knew 
it  as  The  Big  Snow  Mountain  Above  the  Lake  of  Little 
Fishes,  by  which  they  meant  to  offer  it  rhetorical  homage. 
Red  Men  and  white  men,  savage  and  civilized,  meet  on 
common  ground  when  they  behold  this  rare  pearl  among 
the  crown  jewels  of  Canada. 

The  Chateau  is  just  what  it  should  be,  a  rambling  series 
of  structures  united  by  large  towers  and  passage-ways 
of  concrete  and  glass.  It  is  not  a  "  formal  "  structure 
in  any  way  and  one  would  have  difficulty  in  classifying 
it  by  architectural  phraseology.  Additions  to  the  orig- 
inal building  have  been  made  until  the  outline  is  no  more 
like  the  first  "  Chateau  "  than  this  building  was  like  the 
small  frame  cottage  to  which  the  first  "  visitors  "  were 
admitted  soon  after  the  completion  of  the  railroad.  It 
sits  on  a  terrace  overlooking  the  "  stage  "  of  the  amphi- 
theater, with  a  full  view  of  lake,  mountains,  glacier  and 
forests.  Around  it  are  grouped  attractive  chalets,  like 
the  lesser  buildings  of  an  ancient  town  around  the  castle. 
Yellow  poppy  gardens  and  a  close  cropped  lawn  slope 
to  the  water's  edge.  It  is  the  hub  of  a  great  excursion 
wheel  from  which  well-built  trails  radiate  in  all  direc- 
tions. 

The  one-day  visitor  usually  contents  himself  with  a 
circuit  of  the  lake  and  perhaps  a  climb  to  Mirror  Lake 
and  Lakfe  Agnes  (called  The  Goat's  Looking  Glass  by 
the  Indians)  not  at  all  difficult  nor  dangerous,  as  fre- 
quent rest-cabins  have  been  roofed  along  the  route,  foot- 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  285 

bridges  have  been  constructed  with  rustic  railings  that 
hedge  back  the  adventurous  but  inexperienced  cHmber, 
and  a  refreshing  cup  of  tea  is  at  the  summit  waiting  for 
travelers  who  rest  before  undertaking  the  descent  and 
revel  in  the  new  view  gained  from  the  heights.  This 
trip  may  be  taken  by  pony  and  in  this  way  about  four 
hours  are  usually  allotted  to  it,  the  return  being  made  by 
what  is  known  as  the  High  Trail  which  leads  back  to  the 
Chateau.  Lake  Agnes  was  named  for  Miss  Agnes  Knox 
of  Toronto,  who  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  woman 
to  visit  it.  Lake  Louise  was  named  for  Princess  Louise, 
daughter  of  Queen  Victoria. 

The  two-day  tripper  usually  includes  the  trip  to  Vic- 
toria Glacier  in  his  itinerary.  It  is  advisable  to  secure 
the  services  of  a  Swiss  guide  from  the  hotel  and  accom- 
pany his  party  which  is  usually  made  up  twice  a  day  for 
the  excursion.  It  is  also  advisable  to  allow  one  full  day 
for  this  jaunt,  where  much  information  may  be  gained 
concerning  the  weird  formations  of  glacial  ice,  aided  by 
close  contact  with  what  is  being  described,  as  at  the  Ille- 
cillewaet  Glacier.  The  giant  snow-capped  Mount  Vic- 
toria, over  eleven  thousand  feet  high,  which  lies  at  the 
end  of  the  lake,  is  frequently  ascended,  and  it  is  not 
counted  difficult  by  experienced  climbers.  The  trip  can- 
not be  recommended  unless  in  the  company  of  guides, 
however,  and  should  not  be  undertaken  by  one  subject 
to  mountain  sickness.  "  Easy  "  say  the  guides  and  the 
professionals,  but  the  trail  so  lightly  dismissed  leads 
through  the  Abbot  Pass  or  Death  Trap,  where  there  is 
frequently  soft  snow  and  along  g^ven-hundred-feet 
ledges,  where  a  "  ladder-like  snow  curtain  must  be  scaled 
and  then  a  long,  narrow  ridge  traversed,"  which  are 
counted  the  only  trying  experiences  on  the  entire  route. 


286  Sunset  Canada 


This  information  is  enough  to  send  the  ordinary  pleas- 
ure-seeker into  other  locahties. 

The  three-day  visitor  should  not  fail  to  visit  the  Val- 
ley of  the  Ten  Peaks  and  Moraine  Lake,  and  while  the 
trip,  like  that  to  Victoria  Glacier,  may  be  accomplished  in 
four  hours,  it  is  well  to  spend  the  entire  day  there, 
going  by  the  morning  stage  or  automobile  and  returning 
in  the  evening.  The  road  leads  by  the  base  of  Mount 
Temple,  a  stupendous  mound  of  rock  that  seems  to  be  a 
gigantic  cathedral  of  ornate  carvings.  Lake  Annette 
lies  here,  nestled  in  a  pocket  surrounded  by  forests,  five 
thousand  feet  beneath  the  glacier  which  forms  the  sum- 
mit. It  is  a  favourite  climb  for  the  Alpinists,  up  this 
precipitous  slope  of  a  giant  among  giants;  but  it  should 
not  be  undertaken  by  the  timid.  Fifty-three  members  of 
the  Canadian  Alpine  Club  made  the  ascent  in  1907  dur- 
ing their  annual  camp  in  Paradise  Valley. 

Moraine  Lake  is  two  miles  long  and  a  half  mile  wide. 
It  is  flanked  on  one  side  by  ten  sharp  mountain  peaks 
and  in  another  direction  by  the  celebrated  Tower  of 
Babel,  a  monster  bastion  that  seems  to  have  been  built 
of  blocks  of  masonry.  The  *'  entrance "  seems  to  be 
guarded  by  two  rounded  towers,  perfectly  matched,  and 
a  pathway  of  rock  seems  to  lead  between  them  from  the 
valley. 

There  are  trout  in  this  clear  lake  and  a  camp  for 
fishermen.  Also  a  tea-house,  which  so  far  as  my  experi- 
ence goes,  holds  the  world's  record  in  at  least  one  particu- 
lar. Having  entered  the  cabin  and  supped  a  cup  of  tea 
from  a  small  Japanese  cup,  in  addition  to  a  nibble  from 
a  biscuit  as  large  as  a  silver  dollar,  I  inquired  the  price. 
A  genteel  English  lady  who  had  served  the  tea  replied: 
"  One  dollar,  please."     "  And  have  you  a  photograph?  " 


■^ 

^1 

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^■^s^^ 

li 

Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  287 

I  inquired.  "  A  photograph  of  what?  "  "  Yourself.  I 
would  like  to  preserve  a  photographic  likeness  of  one  who 
has  enough  —  what  I  will  call  '  courage  ' —  to  charge  one 
dollar  for  a  cup  of  tea!  "  and  I  departed. 

W.  D.  Wilcox,  the  discoverer  of  Moraine  Lake,  named 
it  for  the  ridge  of  glacial  formation  at  its  lower  end.  He 
has  written :  "  At  the  time  of  my  arrival  the  lake  was 
partly  calm  and  reflected  the  rough  escarpments  and 
cliffs  from  its  surface.  No  scene  has  ever  given  me  an 
equal  impression  of  inspiring  solitude  and  rugged  grand- 
eur." Might  it  not  be  possible,  I  reflected  as  I  read  these 
words,  that  the  lady  of  the  tea-house  had  become  "  in- 
spired "  in  this  solitude,  inspired  to  demand  a  profit  of 
about  five  thousand  per  cent,  for  selling  tea?"  I  re- 
called a  year  before  when  I  was  in  similarly  far-away 
places  in  the  Japanese  mountains  and  stopped  beneath  a 
sheltered  cabin  of  bamboo,  ordered  tea,  drank  a  potful  if 
I  wanted  to  do  so  and  pleased  the  attendants  by  paying 
them  the  equivalent  of  about  five  cents ! 

There  is  another  half-day  pony  trip  to  the  Saddle  Back, 
where  may  be  obtained  a  splendid  view  of  Paradise  Val- 
ley, Horseshoe  Glacier  and  Lake  Annette.  The  trail 
through  Paradise  Valley  to  the  foot  of  the  glacier  and 
Giant  Steps  Waterfall  passes  close  to  the  foot  of  Mount 
Temple,  as  on  the  excursion  to  Moraine  Lake.  At  the 
head  of  Paradise  Valley  is  Mount  Hungabee,  which  is 
considered  one  of  the  difficult  peaks  of  the  region,  even 
for  Alpinists. 

The  guides  say  that  one  of  the  easiest  mountains  to 
climb  is  Mount  St.  Piran,  reached  from  the  Chateau  by 
the  "  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  "  trail,  and  they  tell  that  the 
view  from  its  summit  is  so  beautiful  that  when  the  ascent 
was  made  by  Edward  Whymper,  who  had  conquered  the 


288  Sunset  Canada 


Matterhorn,  he  became  entranced  and  stayed  over  night 
for  the  purpose  of  making  the  descent  in  the  morning 
light. 

Mount  Lefroy  is  not  supposed  to  be  more  difficult  than 
some  of  the  others,  but  it  has  a  tragic  record,  which  is  re- 
lated at  length  in  a  chapter  called  "  The  Tragedy  of 
Mount  Lefroy  "  in  Outram's  book  on  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Fatal  accidents  have  been  few  in  these  mountains 
among  the  climbers,  thus  more  publicity  has  been  given 
to  the  death  of  Philip  Stanley  Abbot  of  Boston  than 
would  be  the  case  for  example  among  Swiss  mountains, 
where  there  have  been  so  many  fatalities.  He  was  a  man 
of  long  experience  and  a  member  of  the  Appalachian 
Mountain  Club.  A  party  of  four,  including  Mr.  Abbot, 
left  the  Chateau  August  3,  1895,  and  started  out  to  ascend 
Lefroy.  A  local  guide  tells  the  following  story :  "  The 
party  at  five-thirty  drew  up  under  an  immense  bastion  and 
Abbot,  who  was  leading,  saw  an  angle  in  the  bastion  a 
vertical  cleft  up  which  it  was  possible  to  climb.  Unrop- 
ing,  Abbot  ascended  some  thirty  feet  when  Professor  Lit- 
tle called  to  him  if  it  would  not  be  better  to  try  and  turn 
the  bastion  on  the  shelf.  To  this  question  Abbot  re- 
plied: '  I  think  not.  I  have  a  good  lead.'  These  were 
the  last  words  he  ever  spoke.  A  moment  later  Professor 
Little,  whose  attention  was  for  the  instant  diverted,  was 
conscious  that  something  had  fallen  swiftly  past  him  and 
knew  only  too  well  what  it  must  be.  Thompson,  stand- 
ing at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  saw  Abbot  fall  backward 
and  then  saw  him  strike  the  upper  margin  of  the  ice  head 
foremost,  turn  completely  over  and  begin  rolling  down  a 
steep  incline.  As  the  limp  body  rolled  downward  two 
lengths  of  rope  coiled  upon  it  as  upon  a  spool,  which 
affected  the  velocity  of  the  descent  of  nine  hundred  feet 


Courtesy  of  Byron  Harmon. 

DIFFICULT  CLIMBING  ON   MOUNT   LEFROY 


Among  Lakes  in  the  Clouds  289 

and  prevented  the  unconscious  man  from  falling  over  the 
cliff  below.  Abbot  died  a  few  moments  after  his  friends 
reached  the  place  where  his  body  had  been  arrested  in  its 
terrible  fall.  Two  days  later  the  party  returned  and  re- 
covered Abbot's  body,  now  wrapped  in  a  mantle  of  snow." 
Mount  Fay  receives  its  name  from  the  president  of 
the  American  Alpine  Club,  who  thus  describes  its  ascent : 
"  The  approach  of  Mount  Fay  is  from  one  of  the  most 
exquisite  of  those  deep  blue  Alpine  lakes,  in  the  number 
and  beauty  of  which  Switzerland  is  quite  outclassed  by 
this  region  —  Moraine  Lake.  Its  environment  is  most 
impressive,  yet  almost  forbidding.  Mount  Fay  is  an- 
other massive  ridge,  rising  as  if  to  form  a  second  terrace, 
from  a  great  arena  filled  to  the  depths  of  hundreds  of 
feet  with  a  crevassed  glacier.  Its  feeding  never  sweeps 
at  a  precipitous  angle  up  this  frowning  ridge  and  seems 
to  curl  backward  like  a  breaking  wave  in  a  ponderous 
changing  cornice  that  precludes  secure  approach  from 
this  side.  And  this  is,  in  part,  why  the  ascent  was  one 
of  the  longest  as  well  as  most  arduous  that  I  have  hitherto 
made,  fifteen  hours  from  our  camp  by  the  lakeside  and 
return  from  3  130  a.  m.  until  6  :^o  p.  m.  To  the  top  of 
the  couloir  we  made  our  way,  chiefly  on  the  ice,  with  fre- 
quent step  cutting  but  with  one  diversion  for  variety  to 
the  crags.  It  was  a  parlous-looking  place,  and  as  we 
noted  it  upon  our  return  by  the  ice  below,  we  asked  our- 
selves :  '  How  many  persons  inexperienced  in  such 
climbing  would  consider  a  passage  over  such  a  frowning 
donjon  as  in  any  way  possible  without  wings  ? '  Then 
over  snow  fields  and  a  brief  rocky  ridge  between  peaks 
Three  and  Two,  then  skirting  over  the  latter's  snowy 
side  —  avoiding  in  one  place  a  mass  of  rock  discharged 
at  us  as  if  in  fury  from  the  outcrop  near  its  summit  — 


290  Sunset  Canada 


and  we  found  ourselves  at  the  col  or  depression,  between 
Two  and  the  great  snow-faced  ridge  still  left  for  us  to 
surmount,  and  even  now  towering  some  thousand  feet 
above  us.  It  remained  only  to  pass  over  the  ponderous 
dome  of  snow  that  crowns  the  midway  portion  of  the 
great  ridge,  and  then  beyond  it  by  an  easy  slope  to 
gain  its  culmination.  A  vast  panorama  is  here  unfolded, 
the  most  impressive  feature  of  which  is  the  seemingly 
perpendicular  drop  of  about  five  thousand  feet,  on  its 
northern  side  to  the  lakelets  of  Consolation  Valley." 

Another  popular  pony  trip  from  Lake  Louise  is  to  the 
Great  Divide,  where  one  may  observe  "  the  parting  of  the 
waters  "  at  greater  leisure  than  is  possible  when  passing 
the  point  on  the  railroad.  Also  highly  recommended  is 
the  trail  that  leads  away  ten  miles  to  the  Ptarmigan 
Valley,  where  there  is  a  fossil-bed ;  and  an  extension  of 
the  trip  to  Pipestone  River,  where  there  is  good  fishing. 
A  camping  excursion  certain  to  be  full  of  adventures  is 
the  ten-day  route  that  leads  to  Banff;  and,  as  mentioned 
in  an  earlier  chapter,  it  is  the  opinion  of  several  experi- 
enced mountaineers  and  wilderness-lovers  who  have 
made  the  journey,  that  the  finest  views  in  the  entire 
Rocky  Mountain  system  are  to  be  gained  over  the  long 
passage  between  Lake  Louise  and  Jasper  Park. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

CAPITAL   OF   THE   ROCKIES 

When  the  railway  surveyors  reached  the  valley  of 
the  Bow  River  they  saw  "  smoke  "  rising  from  what 
seemed  to  be  a  perpetual  fire  at  the  base  of  one  of  the 
mountains  that  surround  the  huge  basin.  Perhaps  they 
suspected  that  it  was  "  perpetual  devotion  "  before  some 
altar  that  was  held  sacred  by  the  Indians.  Certainly  it 
was  a  place  of  pilgrimage,  because  the  Red  Men  came 
from  all  directions  and  bathed  in  a  "  sacred  "  pool.  The 
suspected  "  sacrificial  "  fire  burned  dim  and  the  surveyors 
never  saw  its  flame.  Day  and  night,  however,  they  could 
detect  a  curling  column  of  smoke  that  arose  from  the  pine 
trees.  Inquiries  from  Indians  brought  no  satisfactory 
explanation,  so  as  they  came  near  to  the  torrential  waters 
of  the  Bow  they  followed  the  stream  to  a  point  where  it 
could  be  crossed.  Whatever  it  was,  the  origin  of  this 
column  of  "  smoke "  was  worthy  of  investigation. 
Arriving  near  the  base  of  the  mountain  they  found  that 
the  pillar  of  vapor  came  from  a  large  hole  in  the  ground. 
Cutting  down  a  tree  and  crossing  it  with  limbs  for  steps, 
they  dropped  the  huge  ladder  into  the  hole  until  it  struck 
bottom  and  then  explored  a  large  cave,  the  ceiling  of 
which  was  hung  with  stalactites  and  the  floor  of  which 
was  a  pool  of  hot  water.  Further  investigation  around 
the  big  hill  revealed  several  places  where  the  hot  water 
came  to  the  surface.  The  fumes  that  arose  from  the 
water  were  laden  with  sulphur,  so  the  hill  was  named 
Sulphur  Mountain.     Sir  George  Stephen  named  the  basin 

291 


292  Sunset  Canada 


Banff,  after  his  native  town  in  Scotland.  It  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  metropoHs  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Al- 
though situated  forty  miles  from  the  eastern  boundary 
of  the  great  Canadian  National  Park  of  five  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-two  square  miles,  it  is  the  official 
"  entrance  "  to  the  mountain  wonderland  from  the  East, 
while  it  is  the  glorious  climax  to  the  tour  of  the  Canadian 
Alps,  when  approached  from  the  West.  The  great  basin 
when  entered  from  either  direction  is  of  predominating 
importance  to  the  tourist ;  one  who  makes  no  other  stop- 
over on  the  trans-mountain  tour  will  stop  at  Banff.  And 
in  consequence,  an  enterprising  and  thriving  litde  city 
has  arisen  in  the  valley  of  the  Bow  River  —  across  the 
river  by  the  railway  whose  surveyors  followed  the 
"  smoke  "  shaft  that  arose  from  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

The  Indians  bathed  in  the  warm  sulphur  pools  and 
went  away  rejoicing.  White  men  followed  their  ex- 
ample and  found  relief  from  many  human  ills.  The 
locality  seemed  destined  to  become  known  as  a  "cure." 
The  warm  waters  were  collected  in  huge  basins  and  peo- 
ple came  in  such  numbers  that  rustic  stairways  were 
built  along  the  steep  portions  of  the  trail  to  make  the  pools 
more  easily  accessible  to  the  invalids  who  went  up  to 
them  from  the  valley.  In  time  the  stairway  railings  be- 
came the  repositories  for  the  crutches  of  sufferers  who 
had  no  further  use  for  them.  It  was  counted  a  great 
advertisement  for  Banff  Springs,  this  display  of  sticks 
and  crutches  upon  which  people  had  hobbled  to  the  heal- 
ing pools  before  what  they  considered  almost  miraculous 
cures.  Then  one  day  there  was  a  fire  that  destroyed  these 
relics  of  bygone  suffering,  and  as  Banff's  promoters  real- 
ized that  these  somewhat  primitive  advertising  methods 


Capital  of  the  Rockies 293 

were  no  longer  necessary,  and  as  things  generally  had 
taken  a  new  and  favourable  turn,  it  was  decided  to  place 
less  emphasis  upon  the  curative  properties  of  Banff's 
waters  and  more  upon  the  locality  itself  as  an  ideal  tourist 
resort  for  those  who  enjoyed  perfect  health  as  well  as  for 
the  ailing.  The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  company  built 
the  mammoth  castle-like  hotel  in  a  large  park  overlooking 
the  Bow  Rapids.  The  water  from  sulphur  pools  were 
piped  to  splendid  outdoor  tanks  beside  the  hotel  verandas, 
and  while  it  remained  one  of  the  "  attractions  "of  the 
place,  wealth  and  fashion  soon  decreed  in  favour  of  Banff 
and  its  fate  was  sealed.  Almost  without  effort  the  place 
became  the  best-known  resort  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  European  writers  have  frequently  declared  that  it  is 
easily  the  equal  of  any  similar  playground  in  Switzerland 
or  Italy. 

Such  is  the  Banff  of  to-day.  The  invalids  still  come  to 
bathe  in  the  sulphur  waters,  but  they  are  no  more  con- 
spicuous in  the  crowd  than  the  water-drinkers  at  Saratoga 
Springs  are  during  the  race  week.  Banff  is  the  capital 
of  the  mountains,  the  metropolis  of  the  scenic  Northwest. 
Here  are  to  be  fired  the  opening  guns  in  the  well-planned 
campaign  to  make  the  Canadian  Rockies  a  winter  as  well 
as  a  summer  resort.  The  world  is  being  brought  to  a 
realization  of  its  qualifications  in  this  respect  and  there 
is  believed  to  be  little  doubt  that  within  a  few  years 
such  pastimes  as  tobogganing,  ski-ing,  skating  and  curl- 
ing will  gain  in  popular  favour  among  excursionists  here 
as  they  have  in  Switzerland.  The  Alps  were  considered 
only  a  summer  resort  a  few  years  ago;  but  before  the 
war  they  were  sharing  popularity  with  the  flower-bor- 
dered towns  of  the  northern  Mediterranean  coast.  One 
great  winter  attraction  which  other  Alpine  resorts  can- 


294  Sunset  Canada 


not  boast  will  be  the  sulphur  hot  springs.  In  winter  time 
with  the  thermometer  falling  to  twenty  degrees  below 
zero,  a  bath  in  the  open-air  pool  is  said  to  be  attractive, 
stimulating  and  healthful.  It  is  a  distinct  novelty  to 
plunge  into  an  open-air  pool  the  sides  of  which  are  hung 
with  icicles  and  the  banks  covered  by  snow  drifts,  yet 
this  is  an  everyday  possibility  at  Banff  during  the  coldest 
period  of  winter. 

Banff  has  become  a  mountain  Atlantic  City  on  week- 
days and  a  mountain  Coney  Island  on  Sunday  —  unless 
one  is  sheltered  within  the  huge  stone  walls  of  the  big 
hotel  on  the  mountain-side,  or  comfortably  located  within 
the  shelter  of  a  sequestered  bungalow  among  the  pine 
forests.  One  who  stays  here  for  two  hours  realizes  the 
distinction  between  "  the  man  who  lived  in  the  terraced 
house  and  the  brother  in  the  streets  below  " —  the  old 
verses  we  formerly  heard  so  much  at  school  rhetoricals  — 
for  one  either  stops  at  The  Hotel,  or  he  does  not.  Many 
tourists  do,  and  many  do  not.  There  are  several  hotels 
—  some  on  hillsides  set  in  pleasant  parks,  others  on  the 
banks  of  the  Bow  River  and  some  on  the  main  street  of 
town  —  and  then  there  is  the  Banff  Springs  Hotel,  with 
its  great  arcade  like  an  European  castle  entrance,  through 
which  four  horses  prance  dragging  a  tallyho  as  guests 
arrive  from  the  station.  In  the  courtyard  are  riding- 
horses  and  grooms  in  cowboy  costumes,  smartly  tailored 
women  about  to  go  for  a  ride,  guides  and  their  parties 
starting  out  for  a  climb  in  the  mountains,  and  uniformed 
servants  standing  at  the  entrance  eager  to  be  of  assistance 
to  arriving  or  departing  guests.  It  is  a  picture  that  one 
imagines  exists  only  in  reality  at  some  medieval  castle  in 
the  Tyrol.  The  furnishings  and  appointments  of  the 
hostelry  complete  this  picture  that  was  suggested  by  the 


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Capital  of  the  Rockies  295 

external  view.  Spacious  corridors  and  balconies  are 
hung  with  tapestries  and  trophies  of  the  hunt.  Recep- 
tion-rooms, drawing-rooms,  writing-rooms  and  smoking- 
rooms  are  occupied  by  groups  of  cosmopolitan  guests 
who  make  the  hotel  a  rendezvous  in  their  world  wander- 
ings. Mother  sits  in  a  glass-enclosed  balcony  and  "  chap- 
erons "  daughter  who  is  taking  her  daily  plunge  in  the 
sulphur  pools.  In  the  dining-room,  as  at  the  Cafe  de  la 
Paix,  one  meets  all  the  world,  for  no  self-respecting 
round-the-world  tripper  overlooks  Banfif,  and  he  has 
heard  of  this  mountain  hotel  and  includes  it  in  his 
itinerary  as  soon  as  he  finds  that  he  will  cross  Canada. 

In  recent  years,  however,  an  increasing  number  of 
Banff  visitors  have  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity 
to  lease  furnished  bungalows.  They  stay  at  the  hotel  a 
few  days  and  then  a  leisurely  walk  around  town  brings 
a  "  For  Rent "  sign  to  their  attention.  Regular  resi- 
dents of  Banff  are  encouraging  the  idea  by  moving  into 
tents  for  the  months  of  July,  August  and  September.  In 
many  instances  one  may  move  into  the  dwelling  and  take 
full  possession  for  a  price  ranging  from  fifteen  to  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  week.  This  makes  "  roughing  it "  and 
"  camping  in  the  Rockies  "  possible  "  with  all  the  com- 
forts of  home,"  and  the  plan  has  '  et  with  favour  from 
hosts  and  guests  alike  and  shows  great  possibilities  for 
future  development.  Tourists  leave  large  sums  of  money 
in  Banff  every  year,  and  the  municipal.  Provincial  and 
Dominion  governments  continue  to  spend  money  to  at- 
tract larger  numbers  of  them  each  season.  It  has  been 
said  that  nobody  ever  went  to  Banff  and  left  the  city  dis- 
appointed with  what  he  had  seen  and  experienced.  This 
is  an  enviable  record  and  one  that  may  be  difficult  to  main- 
tain with  the  increasing  horde  of  visitors;  but  it  is  hoped 


296  Sunset  Canada 


in  future  to  please  all  tastes  as  well  as  all  pocketbooks. 
The  city  possesses  all  natural  attractions,  so  an  effort 
will  be  made  to  make  them  available  to  the  larger 
crowd. 

It  is  one  of  the  best  localities  imaginable  for  the  vaca- 
tion devoted  entirely  to  hiking.  It  is  reminiscent  of  the 
wonderful  country  on  the  borderland  of  Italy  and  Aus- 
tria, with  its  mountains,  heavily-timbered  hills,  rapidly 
flowing  streams  and  trails.  Most  of  these  pathways  in 
the  environs  of  Banff  have  been  well  made  and  they  are 
being  improved  constantly.  There  are  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  miles  of  roads  and  two  hundred  and  forty-nine 
miles  of  trails  that  have  been  specially  constructed  in  this 
monster  park  which  covers  over  nine  hundred  thousand 
acres.  It  consists  principally  of  mountains,  lakes  and 
rivers  and  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the  authorities  to  keep 
it  in  as  nearly  its  primeval  condition  as  possible,  at  the 
same  time  making  it  convenient  and  comfortable  to  visit 
the  most  attractive  localities.  The  park,  as  its  promoters 
claim,  is  in  reality  "  a  paradise  for  the  nature-lover,  the 
admirer  of  grandeur,  the  individual  seeking  rest,  or  him 
who  seeks  mountain  climbing,  rambles  in  the  valley  or 
forest,  drives  along  the  banks  of  rivers  or  lakes,  horse- 
back riding,  invalids,  campers,  fishers,  hunters,  canoeists, 
botanists,  geologists  or  explorers."  And  to  this  list  might 
be  added  the  still  larger  number  of  travelers  who  are  not 
so  easily  classified,  those  who  go  everywhere  and  do  not 
expect  to  be  disappointed  when  they  arrive. 

Most  of  the  roads  and  trails  around  Banff  have  been 
well  made.  In  the  first  instance  they  did  not  follow  the 
zigzag  runway  of  grazing  cattle  as  is  so  frequently  the 
case  elsewhere;  most  of  them  were  laid  out  by  profes- 
sional hunters,  guides,  trappers  and  mountain-climbers 


Capital  of  the  Rockies  297 

who  studied  the  territory  and  found  the  best  routes  to 
afford  an  opportunity  to  view  beauty  spots  and  vistas  of 
great  charm  and  rarity.  Just  at  present  the  automobile 
tourist  is  being  much  thought  of  by  all  road-builders, 
by  powerful  governments,  as  well  as  by  keepers  of  tiny 
tea-houses.  Where  roads  exist,  they  are  being  improved 
and  repaired  to  provide  motor-ways ;  new  ones  are  being 
built,  and  roads  are  in  prospect  that  will  make  it  possible 
for  the  owner  of  a  car  and  his  party  to  roll  along  luxuri- 
ously in  districts  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  where  only  the 
surveyors  and  a  few  lovers  of  the  wilds  have  ventured  to 
go,  either  on  horses,  or  toting  blankets  and  provisions  with 
them.  This  is  highly  preferable  to  not  seeing  the  region 
at  all.  It  is  as  if  an  individual  possessed  some  beautiful 
painting  which  all  the  world  wanted  to  see,  and  instead  of 
keeping  it  in  his  own  dark  palace  he  placed  it  in  a  well- 
lighted  museum,  where  every  one  could  admire  its  beau- 
ties. The  Dominion  Government  is  placing  its  chief 
treasures  on  exhibition.  It  is  making  the  means  of  see- 
ing them  as  practicable  and  convenient  as  possible. 
Whatever  its  motive,  for  the  motive  is  immaterial,  the 
Canadian  government  has  accomplished  a  great  work  in 
this  respect  of  making  beautiful  scenery  accessible  to  the 
public  —  and  it  is  continuing  this  work.  It  was  doing 
so  even  in  wartime,  when  Provincial  and  Dominion  re- 
sources were  being  rather  severely  taxed.  Interned  pris- 
oners of  war  were  put  to  work  on  roads,  either  building 
new  ones  or  adding  safety  to  old  ones  by  piling  pyra- 
mids and  rows  of  stone  at  curbs  along  streams,  lakes, 
and  on  mountain  curves.  At  a  glance  it  is  apparent  that 
all  the  improvements,  like  those  in  city  parkways,  are 
made  "  for  all  the  people."  Of  course  it  is  a  compara- 
tively small  percentage  of  the  people  who  will  tour  over 


298  Sunset  Canada 


the  roads  in  large  automobiles;  but  I  think  the  time  is 
coming  —  there  are  already  signs  of  it  —  when  the 
walking-tour  will  be  as  popular  in  this  country  as  it  is 
in  Europe.  Distances  are  vast  in  this  great  western 
section  of  Canada.  The  casual  reader  of  a  map  fails  to 
appreciate  them ;  but  railroads  are  convenient  avenues  to 
follow  between  the  principal  towns.  With  these  towns 
as  a  center,  the  footpaths  of  the  walking  tourist  will  lead 
to  thousands  of  places  that  for  a  long  time  or  perhaps 
always,  will  remain  invisible  to  the  motorist.  In  fact 
there  are  hundreds  of  these  paths  already  —  hundreds  of 
them  around  Banff  alone.  The  walkers  should  avail 
themselves  of  this  splendid  opportunity  to  see  how  much 
more  enjoyable  a  walk  of  ten  miles  can  be  among  moun- 
tains, rivers  and  lakes,  than  a  one-hundred-mile  tour 
is  likely  to  be.  An  early  start,  breakfast  at  the  hotel, 
lunch  in  knapsack,  and  back  to  hotel  or  cottage  in  time 
for  an  eight  o'clock  dinner !  This  is  the  way  to  "  see  " 
Banff  —  the  best  way,  or  at  least  the  best  way  to  spend 
two  weeks  of  the  month  that  one  could  spend  here  en- 
joyably. 

Perhaps  the  newcomer  may  best  begin  his  excursions 
in  Banff  by  short  walks  to  the  principal  points  of  interest 
in  the  town  itself  and  the  immediate  vicinity  reached  by 
the  extension  of  city  streets.  Near  the  river  in  the  center 
of  town  is  a  park  where  there  are  living  specimens  of  the 
principal  animals  of  the  region,  bears,  mountain  lions, 
coyotes,  porcupines,  gophers,  foxes,  and  several  others. 
In  the  park  is  the  Rocky  Mountains  Park  Museum,  where 
one  may  inspect  mounted  specimens  of  almost  every  kind 
of  animal  to  be  found  in  the  mountains.  Across  the 
bridge  the  roads  lead  to  the  baths  on  Sulphur  Mountain, 
where  the  water  comes  splashing  down  the  hill  at  a  tem- 


Capital  of  the  Rockies  299 

perature  of  ninety  degrees  to  the  hotel,  and  in  another 
direction  to  the  Cave  and  Basin,  the  springs  from  which 
the  surveyors  saw  steam  arising  and  where  the  Dominion 
Government  has  now  constructed  a  pubHc  bathing  station 
which  is  popularly  believed  to  be  the  finest  in  America. 
The  pool  is  two  hundred  feet  long  and  one  hundred  feet 
wide  and  it  is  constantly  filled  by  the  water  flowing  from 
the  Cave.  The  stone  of  which  it  and  the  adjoining  Pavil- 
ion are  constructed  were  quarried  from  the  neighbouring 
flinty  mountain,  but  the  cost  of  construction  was  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  big  basin  has  no 
roof,  but  is  surrounded  by  huge  plate  glass  windows,  al- 
lowing bathers  a  full  view  of  the  mountains  on  all  sides. 
There  are  nearly  two  hundred  dressing-rooms,  chutes  and 
jumping-boards,  and  at  night  the  place  is  lighted  by  over 
fourteen  hundred  bulbs.  An  easy  climb  is  to  Tunnel 
Mountain,  whence  a  fine  view  of  the  valley  may  be 
gained.  Walks  beside  the  Bow  River,  either  in  the  for- 
ests, where  it  flows  rapidly,  or  to  its  Falls,  and  where  it  is 
joined  by  the  Spray  River  will  consume  pleasant  hours. 
Another  nearby  excursion  is  to  the  beautiful  Vermillion 
Lakes,  which  lie  at  the  city's  front  door,  but  are  invisible 
unless  the  road  is  followed  for  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  so, 
where  the  waters  are  hidden  by  forest  trees.  To  Sun 
Dance  Canyon  is  a  round-trip  of  about  four  miles.  Fol- 
lowing an  automobile  road,  one  is  likely  to  be  fortunate 
enough  to  see  deer  browsing  at  shrubs  by  the  roadside. 
A  stream  of  water  splashes  from  a  great  height  in  this 
canyon,  where  the  scenery  is  rugged  and  usually  betrays 
the  results  of  the  season's  snow-slides. 

The  animal  paddocks  are  only  two  miles  from  town  and 
here  one  may  see  "  big  game "  confined  within  com- 
paratively limited  quarters,  but  living  as  upon  the  plains, 


300  Sunset  Canada 


or  in  the  mountains.  Elk,  yak,  moose,  deer  of  various 
kinds,  mountain  sheep,  and  mountain  goats  roam  at  will 
over  a  large  territory  that  is  penetrated  by  convenient 
walks  and  drives,  where  they  may  be  observed  at  close 
range.  Of  principal  importance  in  this  park  is  the  splen- 
did herd  of  buffalo,  which  with  another  herd  under  gov- 
ernment protection  at  Wainwright,  Alberta  are  counted 
the  finest  specimens  of  the  American  bison  extant.  The 
history  of  these  herds  dates  back  to  1873,  when  an  Indian 
captured  four  bison  calves,  by  cutting  them  out  of  a 
stampeding  herd  on  the  Flathead  Reservation  in  Mon- 
tana. The  Indians  gave  them  to  the  mission  of  St. 
Ignatius,  where  they  were  kept  as  pets  and  became  as  do- 
mesticated as  ordinary  cattle.  They  gradually  increased 
in  number  until  in  1884  there  were  thirteen,  and  the  In- 
dian owner,  finding  the  care  of  them  too  great  a  tax  on  his 
scant  resources,  decided  to  give  the  Dominion  government 
an  option  to  sell  them.  Ten  were  purchased  for  $250 
apiece  by  C.  A.  Allard  and  Michel  Pablo,  who  were 
ranching  on  the  reservation.  The  buffalo  herd  increased 
under  their  supervision,  and  in  a  few^  years  it  became 
possible  to  sell  specimens  at  very  high  prices.  Some  idea 
of  the  average  rate  of  increase  may  be  deduced  from  the 
observed  fact  that  half  the  cows  give  birth  to  calves  every 
year,  while  twin  calves  are  not  uncommon.  As  a  rule,  the 
bison  calf  is  a  very  hardy  creature.  There  are  instances 
of  the  Pablo-Allard  calves  finding  their  feet  in  less  than 
a  minute  after  birth  and  showing  fight  within  half  an 
hour.  In  1906  Hon.  Frank  Oliver,  then  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  obtained  an  option  on  the  six  hundred  unsold 
head  belonging  to  Messrs.  Pablo  and  Allard,  and  event- 
ually they  were  bought  for  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
The  "  round-up  "  lasted  two  months,  and  was  carried  out 


Capital  of  the  Rockies  301 

by  seventy-five  cowboys,  horsemen  picked  for  their  abil- 
ity from  every  part  of  the  great  Montana  ranges. 

In  addition  to  preserving  one  of  the  most  interesting 
quadrupeds  in  America,  many  cross-breeding  experiments 
have  been  made  between  buffalo  and  domestic  cattle, 
with  a  view  to  the  development  of  a  new  type  of  domestic 
animal  which  will  be  able  to  "  rustle  "  or  take  care  of  it- 
self under  conditions  that  are  fatal  to  ordinary  range 
cattle,  and  which,  in  addition,  will  possess  the  value  of 
producing  a  robe  like  that  of  the  buffalo.  The  animal 
born  of  cross-breeding  is  called  the  cattalo  and  great 
future  importance  is  attached  to  the  experiments  already 
made. 

One  sees  fine  and  healthy  specimens  of  buffalo  at 
Banff,  big  fellows,  some  of  which  weigh  over  two  thou- 
sand pounds.  They  are  ranging  over  the  field  and  occa- 
sionally come  close  to  the  walks  and  look  at  visitors  with 
noticeable  curiosity  and  interest.  When  one  pauses  to 
think  of  what  was  almost  the  miracle  that  saved  this 
noble  animal  from  total  extinction  he  becomes  more  in- 
terested than  before  in  its  life  history.  Buffalo  were 
more  numerous  than  any  other  large  animal  of  historic 
times  (the  first  record  of  a  white  man  having  seen  one 
was  in  Montezuma's  menagerie  in  Mexico  in  1521,  and 
the  first  one  not  in  captivity  in  Texas  in  1530)  and  if 
the  keepers  of  the  large  paddocks  are  inclined  to  do  so, 
they  can  discourse  interestingly  upon  one  of  the  great 
tragedies  of  this  north-western  part  of  the  continent.  At 
one  time  it  was  possible  to  drive  for  twenty-five  miles 
through  an  unbroken  herd.  It  is  said  that  Buffalo  Bill, 
while  a  hunter  for  the  construction  company  of  the  Kan- 
sas Pacific  Railway  in  1867-68,  killed  nearly  five  thou- 
sand buffalo,  which  were  consumed  by  the  men  employed 


302  Sunset  Canada 


in  track-laying.  Colonel  Henry  Inman  says  in  The 
Old  Santa  Fc  Trail  that  in  1868  he  rode  for  three  days 
through  one  herd.  In  1868  a  train  of  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Railway  was  delayed  from  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning 
until  five  o'clock  in  the  evening  to  permit  one  herd  of 
buffalo  to  cross  the  tracks.  In  Kansas  alone  in  thirteen 
years  following  1868,  when  they  were  ruthlessly  slaugh- 
tered for  their  tongues  and  hides,  it  is  claimed  that  about 
thirty-one  millions  of  the  animals  were  slain;  a  figure 
arrived  at  by  assuming  that  it  took  about  one  hundred 
carcasses  to  provide  one  ton  of  bone,  that  eight  dollars 
per  ton  was  the  usual  price  paid,  and  that  $2,500,000 
was  spent  for  bone  to  be  used  at  carbon  works,  which  is 
believed  to  be  the  correct  jfigure. 

Buffalo  once  roamed  over  the  vast  territory  between 
Pennsylvania  and  Mexico  and  as  far  north  as  Great  Slave 
Lake,  the  home  of  the  muskox.  His  favourite  grounds 
were  the  great  plains,  but  he  was  found  at  an  elevation 
of  eleven  thousand  feet  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  he 
came  near  to  tide  water  east  of  the  Appalachian  Moun- 
tains. As  late  as  1870  they  ranged  from  Texas  to  the 
Arctic  Circle.  They  were  the  most  valuable  possession  of 
the  Indians,  because  they  provided  meat  which  tastes  like 
beef,  covering  for  tents  and  clothing  for  the  body,  and 
hunting  implements  were  made  from  the  bones  and  horns. 
Hendry,  who  went  into  the  Saskatchewan  country  with 
the  Indians  in  1754,  wrote:  "  So  expert  are  the  natives 
buffalo  hunting,  they  wall  take  an  arrow  out  of  the  buffalo 
when  the  beasts  are  foaming  and  raging  and  tearing  the 
ground  up  with  their  feet  and  horns.  The  buffalo  are 
so  numerous  like  herds  of  English  cattle,  that  we  are 
obliged  to  make  them  sheer  out  of  our  way."  It  is  re- 
corded by  witnesses  that  a  chief  of  the  Kiowas  named 


Capital  of  the  Rockies  303 

Smoke  Shield  was  a  giant  over  seven  feet  tall  and  that 
he  never  rode  a  horse  when  buffalo  hunting  but  ran  after 
the  animals  and  despatched  them  with  a  lance.  Another 
Indian  called  Two  Lance  was  distinguished  for  his  ability 
to  shoot  an  arrow  through  the  body  of  a  buffalo  so  that 
it  fell  out  on  the  other  side. 

The  buffalo  existed  in  such  almost  unbelievable  num- 
bers, however,  that  the  annual  death  toll  of  the  Indians 
made  no  inroads  upon  the  herds  which  multiplied  with 
great  rapidity.  It  was  the  coming  of  the  white  man  that 
sealed  their  doom.  They  fell  by  the  millions  and  were 
threatened  with  extinction  when  a  few  were  gathered  as 
here  at  Banff  in  a  somewhat  desperate  endeavour  to  per- 
petuate the  species.  The  only  buffalo  so  far  as  known 
which  continue  to  roam  in  a  wild  state  are  near  Great 
Slave  Lake,  where  there  are  said  to  be  about  five  hundred 
of  the  variety  known  as  Wood  bison. 

Seven  miles  beyond  the  huge  buffalo  corrals  lies  Lake 
Minnewanka,  a  beautiful  body  of  water  that  provides  ex- 
cellent trout  fishing  and  a  long  launch  ride  through  a 
curving  channel  bordered  by  gigantic  cliffs.  On  the  route 
may  be  obtained  good  views  of  Mount  Aylmer,  over  ten 
thousand  feet.  Peechee  and  Ingilismaldie,  nine  thousand 
feet  peaks.  The  drive  to  Mount  Edith  Pass  leads  along 
the  shores  of  Vermillion  Lakes  as  far  west  as  necessary 
to  obtain  a  fine  view  of  Mount  Edith.  In  the  foothills  to 
the  north  the  tourist  may  usually  observe  mountain  sheep 
and  deer  on  natural  grassy  lawns.  What  is  known  as 
the  Loop  Drive  follows  the  Bow  Valley  in  view  of  the 
Falls,  crosses  the  Spray  Bridge  and  skirts  the  base  of 
Mount  Rundle  with  a  view  of  the  stone  pillars  known  as 
the  Hoodoos,  across  the  river.  Probably  the  longest 
mountain  trip  to  make  an  appeal  to  amateurs  in  this  vicin- 


304  Sunset  Canada 


ity  is  to  the  Observatory  on  Sulphur  Mountain,  a  distance 
of  twelve  miles.  The  Pavilion  is  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  town  and  commands  a  grand  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding mountains  and  valleys.  Mount  Assiniboine 
rises  over  eleven  thousand  feet  and  the  trail  is  usually 
counted  about  thirty-five  miles  to  its  summit.  It  is  a 
difficult  climb  as  the  rocky  side  is  almost  vertical  and  has 
won  for  it  the  popular  name  of  "  The  Matterhorn  of  the 
Rockies."  Its  ascent,  like  so  many  of  the  long  and  ardu- 
ous climbs  from  nearby  resorts,  is  accounted  one  of  the 
"  rare  "  experiences  by  the  guides  and  outfitters  who  are 
always  attempting  to  lure  their  patrons  from  the  "  tame 
cat  "  excursions  near  the  railroad.  The  vast  majority  of 
travelers,  however,  will  find  enough  to  satisfy  them  in 
Banff  and  its  easily  accessible  environments.  As  in  other 
things,  however,  Banff  offers  something  that  will  satisfy 
all  visitors,  those  who  desire  a  quiet  holiday  in  a  fash- 
ionable or  a  moderate  price  hotel,  those  who  prefer  to 
saunter  in  beautiful  woodland,  the  walkers,  riders,  driv- 
ers; and  those  who  desire  for  the  strenuous  leads  them 
to  undertake  long  trips  that  require  from  one  week  to 
thirty  days.  Banff  provides  it  all,  in  reality,  the  little 
city  that  has  grown  up  around  the  steaming  springs  is  all 
embracing,  the  climax  of  the  mountain  tour  from  the 
West,  a  summing  up  and  review  of  all  that  has  been  seen 
or  experienced  elsewhere.  When  approached  from  the 
East  it  offers  its  dazzling  variety  of  marvels  almost  as 
soon  as  one  has  entered  the  gateway  from  the  plains,  and 
the  tourists'  first  hours  are  spent  in  bewilderment  and 
amazement  that  such  scenic  prodigality  exists  —  not  in 
some  faroff  corner  of  the  Urals,  Caucasus,  Andes  or 
Himalayas,  but  so  close  to  home,  just  beyond  the  great 
wheat  fields  around  Winnipeg,  Regina  and  Calgary. 


The  T  href  Sisters,  near  Banff. 

Cotirfesy'  of' Canadian  Pacific  Railway. 


Capital  of  the  Rockies 305 

As  the  departing  train  leaves  Banff  it  circles  into  the 
great  eight-hundred-acre  corral  of  the  buffalo  and  soon 
reaches  the  coal-mining  towns  of  Bankhead  and  Canniore. 
A  good  view  is  obtained  of  Three  Sisters  Mountain  in 
profile  and  of  Wind  and  Pigeon  Mountains  looming  in  the 
far  distance.  The  peaks  still  raise  their  heads  into  the 
clouds  as  if  in  an  heroic  effort  to  defy  the  inevitable  mo- 
notony of  the  plains.  The  Bow  River,  which  is  to  provide 
the  water  for  vast  irrigation  systems  in  the  wheatlands 
and  power  for  great  electric  plants  in  its  descent  toward 
the  prairie,  bursts  through  the  Gap  and  the  rails  follow  its 
channel.  At  Exshaw  is  one  of  the  largest  cement  works 
in  Canada,  and  the  surrounding  mountains  have  now  be- 
come tremendous  uplifts  of  the  Carboniferous  and  the 
Devonian  Ages,  which  have  broken  through  the  earth's 
crust  and  slowly  heaved  aloft  as  if  in  a  futile  effort  to 
reach  the  majestic  proportions  of  sister  peaks  to  the  west- 
M^ard.  At  Cochrane  the  descent  is  becoming  rapid  and 
the  train  runs  along  the  great  terraces  of  the  foothills. 
From  the  observation  platform  this  slide  to  the  plains  is 
easily  perceptible  as  one  sees  the  snow  tips  of  the  dis- 
tance receding  and  the  billow^y  grass  hills  of  Alberta 
bordering  the  staircase  that  has  its  base  in  one  of  the 
colossal  cereal  gardens  of  the  world.  The  river  froths 
and  foams  as  if  from  habits  contracted  in  its  youth 
among  mountain  chasms,  but  its  bed  seems  level  and  it 
will  soon  flow  as  undisturbed  as  the  meadow  brook.  The 
mountains  and  hills  are  visible  off  there  to  the  West 
among  the  clouds,  but  the  rails  lie  flat  upon  the  earth's 
floor.  Man-built  peaks  appear  on  the  eastern  sky-line, 
grouped  together  like  the  rims  of  the  basins  of  Glacier, 
Field,  Lake  Louise  and  Banff;  they  are  the  towering 
"  skyscrapers  "  of  Calgary. 


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Laut,  Agnes  C.  :    The  Cariboo  Trail. 

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Longyear,  B.  O.  :     Rocky  Mountain  Wild  Flower  Studies. 

Lorne,  Marquis  of:     Canadian  Pictures. 

Lyman,  W.  D.  :    The  Columbia  River. 

MacBeth,  Rev.  R.  G.  :    The  Making  of  the  Canadian  West. 

Macfie,  Matthew:    Vancouver  Island  and  British  Columbia. 


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McLean,  John  :  Notes  of  a  Twenty-five  Year  Service  in  the  Hud- 
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McKenna,  J.  A.  J. :    The  Hudson's  Bay  Route. 

Macoun,  J.  M. :     Canadian  Plants. 

Marshall,  Charles:     The  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Mayne,  R,  C.  :     British  Columbia  and  Vancouver  Island. 

Meany,  E.  S.  :    Vancouver's  Discovery  of  Puget  Sound. 

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OxLEY,  J.  Macdonald  :     The  Romance  of  Commerce. 

Paget,  Amelia  M.  :     The  People  of  the  Plains. 

Palmer,  Howard:     Mount  Sir  Donald  and  Its  Neighbours. 

Pemberton,  J.  Despard:     Vancouver  Island  and  British  Columbia. 

Petittot,  E.  :     En  Route  pour  la  Mer  Glaciale. 

Preston,  W.  T.  R.:    Life  and  Times  of  Lord  Strathcona. 

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Ralph,  Julian:    On  Canada's  Frontier. 

Rattray,  Alexander:    Vancouver  Island  and  British  Columbia. 

Rattray,  J. :     The  Scot  in  British  North  America. 

Richmond,  W.  P.:    The  Life  of  Lord  Strathcona. 

Robinson,  H.  M.  :    The  Great  Fur  Land. 

Roper,  Edward:     By  Track  and  Trail  Through  Canada. 

St.  Maur,  Mrs.  Algernon  :     Impressions  of  a  Tenderfoot. 

Scholefield,  E.  O.  S.  :     British  Columbia. 

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Sproat,  G.  M.  :     Scenes  and  Studies  of  Savage  Life. 

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Rockies. 

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Thwaites,  R.  G.  :  Brief  History  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  Explora- 
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Tucker,   Rev.   L.   M.  :     Western   Canada. 

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Wilson,  William  :    Dominion  of  Canada. 

WiNTHROP,  Theodore:    The  Canoe  and  Saddle. 

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Yeigh,  Frank:     Five  Thousand  Facts  About  Canada, 

Young,  R.  E.    The  New  Northwest. 


INDEX 


Abbot  Pass,  285. 
Agassiz,   165. 

Alaska,    to,    from    Prince    Ru- 
pert,  151. 
Alberta,  159,  204,  227,  280. 
Albert   Canyon,    described,  258. 
Alberni,    on    fjord,    63;    Indian 

Agent    quoted,    65-67,    69,    70, 

73 ;  how  named,  80 :  begimiing 

of  boom,  81;   hit  by  war,  82; 

resources,    83 ;    hunting    near, 

84,  85,  87;  fishing  at,  83,  85- 

87 ;  logging  operations,  88-92  ; 

cost  of   fuel,  93. 
Alberni    Canal,    63,    80,   82,   93; 

like     Norwegian     fjords,    64; 

villages    along,     65;     whaling 

operations,   73-75. 
Alberni,   Don  Pedro,  80. 
Alert  Bay,  137,  138. 
Algiers,   Prince  Rupert  harbour 

compared  to,  146. 
Alice  Arm,  137. 
Amalfi,  146. 
Anyox,    137;    to,    from    Prince 

Rupert,  151. 
Arctic  Ocean,  27;  Mackenzie  at, 

114. 
Arrow  Lakes,  198,  207,  214,  215, 

227;  cruise  on,  228. 
Ashcroft,  4,   192. 
Asulkan      Glacier;      trip      from 

Glacier  to,  269. 
Asulkan  Pass ;  views  from,  269. 
Athabasca;    Mackenzie    reaches, 

114. 
Athabasca  Falls,  153. 
Athabasca  Pass.  154. 
Athabasca     River;      at     Jasper 

Park,  153,  154. 
Atlin;  to,  from  Prince  Rupert, 

151- 


6 


Balfour,  227. 


Balloo  Pass;  view  from  summit 
of,  267. 

Bancroft,  Herbert  Howe, 
quoted,  193. 

Banff;  from  Vancouver  to,  196; 
named  by  Sir  George  Stephen, 
292 ;  winter  as  well  as  summer 
resort,  293 ;  hotel  at,  294 :  sul- 
phur pools,  furnished  bunga- 
lows, 295 ;  trails  and  roads 
around,  296,  297 ;  museum, 
298 ;  Cave  and  Basin,  299 ;  ani- 
mal paddocks,  299,  300;  buf- 
falo, 300-303 ;  to  Lake  Minne- 
wanka.  Mounts  Aylmer,  Pee- 
chee,  Ingilismaldie,  Edith 
Pass,  Vermillion  Lakes, 
Mount  Edith,  Spray  Bridge, 
Mount  Rundle,  Hoodoos,  303; 
observatory,  304. 

Bankhead,  305. 

Bamfield,  64. 

Barkerville,  176,  185,  192, 

Battleford,  232. 

Bear  Ci'eek,  157. 

Beau  Pass,  158. 

Beau  Vert  Lake,  153,  154;  camp 
at,  155- 

Beaverfoot  River,  270. 

Beaverfoot  Range,  270. 

Beavermouth,  269. 

Behring  Strait,  27. 

Bella  Bella,  137,  138. 

Bella  Coola;  Mackenzie  reaches, 
115- 

Bellingham,  168-169. 

Berg  Lake,  159. 

Berlin,  214. 

Bombay,  214. 

Bonnington  Falls,  217. 

Borden  Glacier,  161. 

Borden,  Sir  Robert ;  mountain 
named  for,  161. 

Boule  Roche  Mountain,  152. 

Bonner's  Ferry ;  from  Nelson  to, 
by  water,  223. 

Bow  River;  from  Surprise 
Point,  278 ;  discoveries  at,  291 ; 


312 


Index 


sulphur  pools  near,  292;  rapids 
of,  293 ;  hotels  beside,  294 ; 
Loop  Drive  along,  303,  falls 
of,  303 ;  irrigates  prairies,  305. 

Bowen  Island,  135. 

Brazeau  Lake,  153. 

Brazeau  River,  153. 

Bridal  Chamber,  267. 

Brilliant ;  arrival  of  Doukho- 
bors  at,  232,  233 ;  story  of  col- 
onists at,  235-251. 

British  Columbia ;  prosperity  be- 
gins, 47 ;  favourable  to  confed- 
eration, 46 ;  length  of  tour  in, 
2;  called  "  B.  C,"  "Land  of 
Sunshine,"  3;  climate,  4,  8; 
sunset  gateway,  5 ;  vastness, 
mines,  6 ;  fruit,  6,  7 ;  water- 
falls, fisheries,  forests,  7;  all 
embracing,  9 ;  named  by  Queen 
Victoria,  11,  12;  coat  of  arms 
described,  22,  23 ;  independent 
colony,  44 ;  first  governor,  44. 

Buccaneer  Bay,  136. 

Buffalo  Bill,  301. 

Buffalo;  in  park  at  Banfif,  300- 
303. 

Bulkley  River,   161. 

Burrard's  Channel,  135,  164; 
how  named.  97. 

Burrard,  Sir  Harry,  97. 

Butte  Inlet,  135. 

Buttle  Lake,  59. 


Calgary,  i,  2,  146,  156,  253,  304, 
306,  308. 

California,  24,  25,  26,  31,  162, 
168,  169,  172,  185,  213. 

Calvert  Island,  138. 

Cameron  Lake,  62. 

Campbell  Lake,  59. 

Campbell  River,  57,  59,  137. 

Camsell,  Charles;  quoted  on 
geology  of  National  Parks, 
257. 

Canadian  Alpine  Club;  ascent 
of  Mount  Temple,  286. 

Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  56,  96, 
117,  152,  164,  192,  254.  256,  258, 
261,  263,  271,  280,  293;  con- 
struction guaranteed,  cost  of, 
hotels  of,  46. 


Canmore^'igo^. 

Capilano'-6.^^on,''lo6 ;  described, 
131  ;  suspension  bridge,  132, 
133 ;  romantic  history,  134 ;  ex- 
cursion from,  135. 

Carbonate  Grotto,  267. 

Cariboo,  115,  167,  174-176. 

Cariboo  Road ;  beginning  at 
Yale,  179;  described,  180-183; 
building  of,  183,  184;  Bar- 
nard's Express  on,  184;  acci- 
dents on,  185-187. 

Cascade,  213. 

Cascade  Range,   198. 

Castlegar,  217. 

Cavell  River,  1^5. 

Charles  II,  38,  39. 

Chemainus,  55. 

Chicago,  114. 

Chilcotlin,   174. 

Chilliwack,  115,   119,   1G5. 

China  Bar,  173. 

China  Creek,  80. 

China  Hat,  137. 

Chinook  Winds,   138. 

Clayoquot,  64. 

Coal ;  discovered  on  Vancouver 
Island,  42,  55. 

Coast  Range,  i,  192. 

Cochrane,  305. 

Colin  Range,  154. 

Columbia  River,  115,  198,  214, 
227,  254,  256,  269;  described, 
215,  216;  at  Golden,  270. 

Committee's  Punch  Bowl,  154. 

Consolation  Valley,  280. 

Cook,  Captain;  explorations  of, 
27,  30,  37- 

Cook's  Ferry,  183. 

Cook's  Inlet,  27. 

Cordova  Bay,  21. 

Craigellachle ;  railroad  completed 
at,  256. 

Creston,  229,  245. 

Crotton,  55. 

Crow's  Nest  Route,  227,  270. 

Cougar  Creek;  at  Nakimu 
Caves,  265,  267 ;  valley  of,  268. 

Courtenay,  51. 


Dawson  Peaks;  views  of,  268. 
Dead  Sea,  215. 
Dean  Channel,   138. 


Index 


313 


Deasy,  Thomas  (Indian  Agent), 
quoted,  140. 

Death  Trap ;  near  Lake  Louise, 
285. 

De         Guigues  (Sinologist) 

quoted,  29. 

Deutchman,  Charles  Henry;  dis- 
coverer of  Nakimu  Caves,  264. 

Dietz,  Wilhclm  ;  finds  gold,  174; 
"  Humbug-  Creek,"  175. 

Discovery  Passage,  138. 

Doreen,   161. 

Douglas,  James,  45,  169;  selects 
site  of  Victoria,  42;  first  gov- 
ernor, 43,  44;  "King  of 
Roads,"  183. 

Doukho1)ors,  229;  Tolstoi  vi^rote 
of  them,  230;  Dominion  in- 
vestigates, 231  ;  at  Brilliant, 
232,  233 ;  concerning  education, 
234.  235;  vegetarians,  236; 
plan  of  working,  237;  com- 
munity savings,  238 ;  arrival  at 
Brilliant,  239;  beliefs  of,  240- 
242 ;  history  of,  243,  244,  245  ; 
Peter  Veregin,  leader,  246- 
248;  arrive  in  America,  249;, 
trails  250,  251. 

Doyle,  Sir  Arthur  Conan;  in 
Jasper  Park,  153. 

Duncan,  55. 

"Dutch  Bill"  (see  Wilhelm 
Dietz). 


Eagle  Peak;  trails  to,  269. 

Eagle  Pass ;  naming  of,  256. 

Eburne,  119. 

Echo  Lake,  59. 

Edelweiss ;  i^omgi^^f  Swiss 
guides,  261,  262.       '^-:' 

Edith  Lake,  153.  ""^ 

Edmonton,  150,  232. 

Ellis,  Thomas,  188,  189,  203. 

Elk  Lake,  21. 

Emerald  Lake ;  near  Field,  274, 
276 ;  hotel  at,  274 ;  from  Sur- 
prise Point,  279. 

Emperor  Falls,  159. 

Esquimault,  54. 

Exshaw,  305. 


Fernie,  227. 

Field;  arrival  at,  271,  306;  view 
from  hotel,  272;  Mount  Ste- 
phen at,  273 ;  excursions  from, 
272 ;  Alount  Burgess,  'Snow 
Peak  Avenue,  Natural  Bridge, 
274 ;  Ottertail  Drive,  Van 
Home  peaks  visible,  trip  to 
Yoho  Valley,  275;  to  Summit 
Lake,  Lookout  Point,  Wapta 
Glacier  visible,  to  Takakkaw 
Falls,  276;  guides  at,  277; 
Twin  Falls,  Laughing  Falls, 
Mount  Field,  from  Surprise 
Point,  O'Hara  Lake,  McAr- 
thur  Lake,  279;  leaving,  2S0. 

Finlayson  Channel,   139. 

Fishing ;  calendar  suggested  for 
Vancouver  Island,  60,  61,  62; 
commercial,   127-129. 

Fort  Kootenay;  built  by  Thomp- 
son, 227. 

Fort  Langley,  44,  45. 

Forbes'  Landing,  59. 

Eraser  River,  24,  180,  186,  190, 
198,  214,  216;  discovered,  115; 
important  history,  116;  rail- 
road follows,  117,  165;  com- 
pared to  Yangtze,  118,  119;  sal- 
mon catch,  123;  sturgeon,  128; 
gold  in,  163,  167-169,  174; 
head  of  navigation,  164. 

Eraser,  Simon,  172,  191  ;  explo- 
rations, 115;  describes  Eraser 
Canyon,   181,   182. 


"Gentlemen  Adventurers,"  (see 
Hudson's  Bay  Co.). 

Giant  Steps  Waterfall,  287. 

Glacier;  arrival  at,  258,  306; 
described,  259 ;  mountain- 
climbing  and  Swiss  guides, 
260;  marvelous  excursions 
from,  261 ;  guide  recom- 
mended, 262;  to  Nakimu 
Caves,  264-267;  to  Rogers 
Pass,  Baloo  Pass,  267;  ideal 
resort,  268;  short  and  long 
trips  from,  269;  to  Asulkan 
Glacier,   to   Lake    Marion,   to 


314 


Index 


Mount  Abbot,  to  Mount  Ava- 
lanche, to  Cascade  Pavilion, 
269. 

Glacier  Crest,  269. 

Goat  Lake,   137. 

Gold;  discovery  of,  43,  116, 
168;  seekers,  162,  166,  167,  169, 
170,  172;  yield  of,  from 
Fraser  country,  174;  at  Wil- 
liam's Creek,  174-176;  amount 
of  placer,  179. 

Golden,  227;  described,  269; 
sights  near,  270. 

Gold  Harbour,  168. 

Goose  Neck  Lake,  59. 

Gopher  Bridge,  265. 

Graham  Island,  139. 

Grand  Forks;  town  of  orchards, 
213. 

Grand  Trunk  Pacific  Railway, 
I4S.  152. 

Granville,  97. 

Great  Central  Lake,  85. 

Great  Divide,  The ;  arrival  at, 
280;  from  Lake  Louise,  290. 

Gulf  of  Georgia,  115. 

Great  Slave  Lake;  Mackenzie 
at,  114. 

Greenville  Channel,  139. 


H 


Haesler,  Christiaan,  Swiss 
Guide ;  interview,  262-264. 

Haida  Indians ;  at  Queen  Char- 
lotte Islands,  139;  described, 
140;  strange  customs,  141. 

Halifax,  3 ;  Doukhobors  arrive 
at,  248. 

Hanna,  Captain  James,  31. 

Harmon,    Byron;    quoted,    155- 

159- 
Hawes,  Jasper,  152. 
Hays,  Charles  Melville,  145,  146. 
Hazelton,  151,  161. 
Hector;  origin  of  name,  280. 
Hector  Lake,  158. 
Hector,  Sir  James,  280. 
Hell's  Gate;  where  Fraser  River 

narrows,  191. 
Hermit  Range ;  view  of,  268. 
Hichens,  Robert;  quoted,  214. 
Higginson,  Ella;  quoted,  142. 
Hill's  Bar;  gold  at,  169,  170. 


Holberg,  64. 

Hongkong,  156;  Prince  Rupert 
Harbour  compared  to,  146. 

Hoodoos ;  near  Banff,  303. 

Horseshoe  Bay,  135. 

Horseshoe  Glacier ;  visible,  287. 

Horseshoe  Lake  (see  Beau  Vert 
Lake). 

Howe  Sound,  135. 

Hubbard,  Elbert;  quoted,   109. 

Hudson's  Bay,  3,  38,  39,  114. 

Hudson's  Bay  Company,  169. 
194;  beginnings  of,  38;  early 
profits,  39 ;  oath  of  share-hold- 
ers in,  40;  history  of,  41;  pos- 
sess Vancouver  Island,  42; 
Gladstone's  criticism  of,  43; 
controls  British  Columbia,  44; 
holds  to  charter,  113;  rival  of, 
114;  Fraser  to  oppose,  115; 
old  route  of,  157. 

Hudson   River,  214,  228. 


Ice  Cave,  267. 

Illecillewaet  Glacier,  157,  285 ; 
at  Glacier  Station,  262,  264. 

Illecillewaet  River,  267 ;  view  of, 
at  Albert  Canyon,  258. 

Indians,  170-172;  of  Nootka 
Sound,  2iT\  of  Vancouver 
Island,  2)7-  64-69 ;  totems  of, 
65-69;  as  fishermen,  69,  71-79; 
neglect  of  elders,  70,  71 ;  edu- 
cation among,  jz;  oosh-mish, 
TT,;  legend  of  lions,  103-106; 
legend  of  Siwash  Rock,  iio- 
III  ;  respect  , .for  salmon,  124, 
125 ;  legend  of  salmon,  126, 
127 ;  Haida  Nation,  139-141 ; 
salmon-spearing,    191. 

Inman,  Col.  Henry ;  quoted,  302. 

Island  Automobile  Club,  21, 


Jack  Lake ;  trout  fishing  at,  153. 
Japan  Current;  effect  of,  8,  138. 
Jasper     Mountain;      in     Jasper 

Park.  153,  154. 
Jasper  Park ;  Mecca  for  tourists, 

151;     trading    post     in,     152; 

sights,    153,    154;   camping  at, 


Index 


315 


155 ;  trail  to  Lake  Louise  de- 
scribed, 155,  156-159,  290. 

Jervis  Inlet,  135. 

Jewitt,  John;  youth  in  England, 
3S ;  massacre  at  Nootka,  34 ; 
book  on  his  captivity,  35-37; 
rescue  of,  37 ;  on  whales,  76. 

Johnstone  Straits,  137,  138. 

Jordan    River;     like    Columbia, 

215- 

Juan  de  Fuca;  explorations  of, 
26. 


K 


Kaien  Island,  142,  145,  147,  149. 

Kalso,  227. 

Kamloops,  16S,  192;  early  days, 
193,  194;  slogan  of,  195. 

Kamloops  Lake,  192. 

Kelowna ;  described,  200-202. 

Kettle  River;  picturesque  ride 
along,  211. 

Kettle  Valley  Route,  198,  227; 
thrilling  ride,  207,  208; 
through  mountain  forests, 
209;  climbing  on,  210;  along 
Kettle  River,  211;  big  game 
along,  212;  over  Lake  Chris- 
tina, 213 ;  to  Arrows  Lakes, 
214;  route  of  fur-traders,  215; 
amazing  panorama,  216;  com- 
pared to  Alps,  217;  arrival  at 
Nelson,  217. 

Kicking  Horse  Pass,  279:  rail- 
road in,  270;  origin  of  name, 
270,  271  ;  from  Field,  275. 

Kicking  Horse  River;  confluence 
with  Columbia,  270;  with 
Beaverfoot,  270;  origin  of 
name,  271 ;  builds  Natural 
Bridge,  275. 

Kingcome  Inlet,  137. 

King  George  Sound,  30. 

Knox,  Agnes ;  lake  named  for, 
285. 

Kootenay  District,  229;  land- 
scape. 218;  hunting,  219,  220; 
mountain  goat,  221,  222;  big 
game,  223 ;  fruit  from,  224 ; 
mining  in,  225;  fur-traders  in, 
227. 

Kootenay  Lake,  198;  cruise  on, 


224-226;  like  Arrow  Lakes, 
228. 

Kootenay  Landing;  from  Nel- 
son, 224 ;  described,  226. 

Kootenay  River,  227,  233. 


Lady  Franklin  Rock,  190. 

Ladysmith,  55. 

Lake  Agnes ;  near  Lake  Louise, 
284;  how  named,  285. 

Lake  Annette ;  near  Mount 
Temple,  286. 

Lake  Christina;  described,  213. 

Lake  Erie,  215. 

Lake  Helena,  159. 

Lake  Huron,  215. 

Lake  Louise,  142,  306;  arrival 
at,  281;  hotel,  281,  284;  de- 
scribed, 282 ;  fascination  of, 
283  ;  "  liquid  music,"  284 ;  to 
Mirror  Lake,  284;  to  Lake 
Agnes,  Victoria  Glacier,  ascent 
of  Mount  Victoria,  to  Abbot 
Pass  and  Death  Trap,  285 ;  to 
Valley  of  the  Ten  Peaks,  Mo- 
raine Lake,  Mount  Temple, 
Lake  Annette,  286 ;  to  Saddle- 
back, Horseshoe  Glacier,  Giant 
Steps  Waterfall,  Mount  Hun- 
gabee  visible  on  trip  from, 
trail  to  J\Tount  St.  Piran.  287; 
ascent  of  Mount  Lefroy,  288, 
289;  to  Mount  Fay,  289,  290; 
to  Great  Divide,  290;  to  Jas- 
per Park,  152,  155-159,  290; 
to  Ptarmigan  Valley,  Pipe- 
stone River  and  Banff,  290. 

Lake  Marion ;  near  Glacier,  269. 

Lake  Minnewanka ;  trip  to,  303. 

Lake  Ontario,  215. 

Lake  Superior,  215. 

Laughing  Falls ;   trail  to,  279. 

Laut,  Agnes  C. ;  history  of  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  41-42. 

Lardo,  227. 

Leancholl,  270. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci;  quoted,  272. 

Lightning  Creek,  174. 

Lillooet,  115. 

Liverpool,  144. 

Logging;  operations  near  Al- 
berni,  88-92. 


316 


Index 


London,  156,  162. 
Lookout  Point,  276. 
Lords    of    the    Outer    Marches 
(see  Hudson's  Bay  Company). 
Lower  Campbell  Lake,  59. 
Lulu  Island,  119;  dikes  at,  121. 
Lund,  136. 
Lytton,  183,  192. 


M 


McArthur  Lake ;  described,  279, 
280. 

Mclvor  Lake,  59. 

McTavish,   Simon,    114. 

Mackenzie,  Alexander;  explora- 
tions, 114;  reaches  Pacific, 
115,  138. 

Mackenzie  River,  214,  216;  ex- 
plorer reaches,   114. 

Malahat  Drive,  59. 

Maligne  Canyon,  153. 

Maligne  Lake,  154,  157,  158. 

Maligne  Mountain,  154. 

Maligne  River,  153. 

Manitoba,  145,  204. 

Mara  Lake,  198. 

Martinez,  Don  Estevan;  takes 
possession  of  Nootka,  31. 

Massett,  139. 

Mears,  Captain  John;  expedi- 
tion from  China,  30;  first  mer- 
chant in  British  Columbia, 
first  shipbuilder,  31. 

Medicine  Lake,  153,  154. 

Midway.  198,  212. 

Mill  Bridge,  265. 

Mirror  Lake,  59;  near  Lake 
Louise,  "  Goat's  Looking 
Glass,''  284. 

Mississippi  River,  214,  228. 

Mitchell,  Maj.  C.  H. ;  quoted, 
159-160. 

Moberly,  Walter;  69,  183-184; 
locating  Eagle  Pass,  256. 

Montreal,  8. 

Moraine  Lake;  from  Lake 
Louise,  described,  286;  trip  to, 
287. 

Mount  Abbot;  trip  from  Gla- 
cier, 269. 

Mount  Arrowsmith,  62. 

Mount  Avalanche;  trails  to,  269; 
Cascade  Pavilion  on,  269. 


Mount  Aylmer;  visible,  303. 
Mount  Begbie,    252;     south    of 

Revelstoke,  255. 
Mount  Burgess ;  near  Field,  274. 
Mount  Columbia,  157-158. 
Mount  Diadem,  136. 
Mount  Douglas,  21. 
Mount  Edith ;    visible,   drive  to. 

Pass,  303. 
Mount  Edith  Cavell ;  named  for 

British  nurse,  154,  155. 
Mount    Field ;    down    slope    of, 

279. 
Mount  Geikie  (see  Mount  Edith 

Cavell). 
Mount  Goodsir,  270. 
INIount  Hungabee ;  visible,  287. 
Mount  Hunter ;   visible,  270. 
Mount      Ingilismaldie ;      visible, 

303- 
Mount  Lefroy;  tragedy  of,  288- 

289. 
Mount  Macdonald ;  tunnel  into, 

259,  269;  view  of,  268. 
Mount  Peechee ;  visible,  303. 
Mount  Resplendent,  159-160. 
Mount  Revelstoke,  252,  255. 
Mount  Robson,    151,"    156,     159; 

glacier  on,  157 ;  described,  160. 
Mount  Rundle :  base  of,  303. 
Mount  Sir  Robert,  161. 
Mount  Sir  Donald.  157. 
Mount  St.  Piran ;  ascent  of,  287. 
Mount  Stephen.  157,  280;  Gibral- 
tar of  Canada,  271  ;  described, 

273  ;  ascent  of,  274-275  ;  fossil 

beds  of,  275. 
Mount  Sorrow,  155. 
Mount     Temple;      from      Lake 

Louise,  286-287. 
Mount  Victoria,   57;   ascent  of, 

285. 
Mountain  of  Minerals,  161. 
Mountain    Goat;    hunting,    219; 

described,        220-221 ;        "  Big 

Billy,"    222;    rugs    from    wool 

of,  222.  223. 
Myette  River,  153. 


N 


Nakimu  Caves ;  exploration  of, 
264;  Gopher  Bridge,  265; 
Cougar    Creek,    Mill    Bridge, 


Index 


317 


265-266 ;  Auditorium,  Ball- 
room, 266;  Carbonate  Grotto, 
White  Grotto,  Art  Gallery, 
Gimlet,  Bridal  Chamber,  Ice 
Cave,  267. 

Nanaimo ;  city  of  coal,  55 ; 
Dunsmuir  comes,  55-56. 

Naramata,  201. 

National  Parks,  58. 

Nechako  Valley,  161. 

Nelson,  229,  231,  234;  situation 
of.  217;  mines  around,  218; 
hunter's  paradise,  2IQ,  220; 
mountain  goat  near,  221 ;  wa- 
ter sports,  223 ;  to  Kootenay 
Landing,  224-227. 

New  Brunswick,  46. 

New  Caledonia ;  name  suggested 
for  British  Columbia,  11. 

New  Cornwall ;  name  suggested 
for  British  Columbia,  11,  28. 

New  Georgia ;  name  suggested 
for  British  Columbia,  11,  28. 

New  Hanover ;  name  suggested 
for  British  Columbia.  11,  28. 

New  Westminster,  184:  seat  of 
government,  45 ;  rivalry  with 
Victoria,  45;  first  name,  116; 
boom  subsides,  117;  location 
of,  118. 

New  York,  214. 

Nile  River,  214,  228. 

North  Bend,  igi. 

Northwest  Company,   114. 

Nootka,  64,  80;  arrival  of  Van- 
couver, 27,  32 ;  Meares'  trad- 
ing post  at.  Captain  Cook  at, 
30,  31 ;  celebrated  place,  otter 
skins  from,  31  ;  Boston  trad- 
ers at,  John  Jewitt  at,  33 ; 
Maquinna,  chieftain,  34,  35, 
36 ;  massacre  at,  34 ;  totems, 
138. 

Nootka  Convention,  28. 

Nootka  Sound,  27. 


Observatory  Inlet,  151. 
O'Hara    Lake ;    described, 


279, 


Okanagan  Falls,  209. 
Okanagan    Lake,   207,   213,   224; 
fruit,      189,      198,     205,     210; 


steamer  on,  199;  cruismg  on, 
200 ;  Kelowna,  Peachland, 
Summerland,  Narawata,  201 ; 
hotels  along.  West  Bank,  202; 
Penticton,  203-206;  from 
Kettle  Valley  railroad,  208- 
210. 

Olympia  Mountains,  21. 

Ontario,  145. 

Oosh-mish  (Indian  shrine),  73. 

Osaka,  214. 

Ottawa,  46. 

Ottertail  Range,  270;  flower 
fields  near,  275. 


Paradise  Valley,  287 ;  camp  at, 
286. 

Paris,  214. 

Parksville  Junction,  56,  57,  62. 

Peace  River,  214;  Mackenzie  at, 
114. 

Peachland,  201. 

Penticton;  founding  of,  189; 
hotel  at,  190,  204;  from 
Sicamous,  198 ;  arrival  at, 
199  ;  described,  202-206  ;  over 
Kettle  Valley   Route,  208-210. 

Pender   Harbour,   136. 

Perez,  Juan,  30. 

Pigeon  Mountain,  305. 

Pipestone  River ;  trip  to,  290. 

Porpoise  Bay,  136. 

Port  Alberni ;  by  automobile,  51. 

Port  Discovery,  32. 

Port  Lorenzo ;  named  for  saint, 
30. 

Port  Quadra,  32. 

Port  Simpson;  to,  from  Prince 
Rupert,  151. 

Powell  Lake,  136. 

Powell  River,  136. 

Prince  George,  151,  160. 

Prince  Rupert,  4,  137 ;  to,  from 
Vancouver,  139 ;  beginnings 
of,  144 ;  railroad  to,  145 ; 
mushroom  growth,  146;  spec- 
ulation in  real  estate,  147; 
building  of  city,  148;  resources 
of,  149;  beautiful  harbour  of, 
150,  151;  cruises  from,  151; 
from,  eastward,  152. 

Prince    William    Sound,   27. 


318 


Index 


Ptarmigan  Valley;  excursion  to, 

290. 
Pyramid  Lake,  153. 
Pyramid  Mountain,  153. 


Q 


Quadra  Island,  33. 

Quadra,  Captain,  28,  32. 

Qualicum  Beach,  57. 

Quebec,  province,  145. 

Queen  Charlotte  Islands ;  tour 
to,  137;  Haida  nation  at,  139- 
141;  Massctt,  139-140;  to, 
from  Prince  Rupert,  151 ;  gold 
discovered,   168. 

Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  138;  as 
vacation  grounds,  142. 

Quesnel  River,  174. 


Railways ;  trans-continental  line 
guaranteed,  46 ;  on  Vancouver 
Island,  48,  51-57,  62-64;  Es- 
quimault  and  Nanaimo,  80; 
Pacific  Great  Eastern,  135; 
Grand  Trunk  Pacific,  145  ;  Ca- 
nadian Pacific,  165 ;  Kettle 
Valley  Route,  198. 

Regina,  304. 

Revelstoke,  227,  269;  base  of 
Selkirks,  252 ;  commercial 
center,  253;  "capital  of  Cana- 
dian Alps,"  254 ;  mountain- 
climbing  at,  255 ;  excursions, 
256. 

Rhine  River,  228. 

Rich  field,   176. 

Rocky  Mountains,  i,  11,  50,  115, 
152,  154,  157,  158,  270;  geology 
of,  257,  258,  262 ;  finest  views 
in,  290;  best  known  resort  in, 
293- 

Roche  a  Pedrix.  152. 

Rogers  Pass,  160;  trail  through, 
267 ;  roadbed  to,  268. 

Rossland,  217. 


Saddle  Back;  pony  trip  to,  287. 
St.  Lawrence  River,  215. 
St.  Petersburg,  244. 


Salmon;  vast  quantity  of,  123; 
life  story,  123-124;  Indians  re- 
spect for,  124-125  ;  Indian  leg- 
end, 126-127 ;  preparation  for 
market,  127-129;  industry  at 
Prince  Rupert,  149. 

Salmon  Arm,   195. 

San  Francisco,  24,  25,  46,  99,  144, 
145.   162,   164,   170. 

Sandwich  Island,  27. 

Saskatchewan  (province),  204, 
238,  242,  250. 

Saskatchewan  River,  114,  157- 
158. 

Saskatoon,  232. 

Scholefield,  O.  S. ;  quoted,  30. 

Sea  of  Galilee,  215. 

Seattle,  12,  145. 

Sechelt,  136. 

Selkirks,  i,  227,  270;  compared 
to  Alps,  218;  backgrounds  of 
Kootenay  Lake,  225 ;  geology 
of,  257-258,  262. 

Seymour  Narrows,  137. 

Shawnigan  Lake,  54;  hotel  at, 
55- 

Shuswap  Lake,  195. 

Shuswap  River,  198. 

Shovel  Pass,  154. 

Sicamous,  256 ;  arrival  by 
launch,  195 ;  compared  to 
Switzerland,  196 ;  described, 
IQ7;  to  Penticton,  198. 

Silver  Tip  Falls;  from  Revel- 
stoke, 256. 

Similkameen  District,  209. 

Skagway;  to,  from  Prince  Ru- 
pert, 151. 

Skeena  River,  137,  160,  l6l,  214, 
216;  scenic  route  along,  151. 

Skidegate,  140. 

Somass  River,  80,  85. 

Sooke  Lake.  55. 

South  Esk  River,  153. 

Sproat  Lake,  85. 

Spuzzum,  166,  172,  190-191. 

Stephen,  280. 

Stephen,  Sir  George;  named 
Banff,  292. 

Stevetson  ;  city  of  Japanese,  iiQ- 
122;  Sockeye  hotel,  120:  dikes 
and  bridges,  121;  salmon  run 
at,  123;  preparing  market  sal- 
mon, 127-129. 


Index 


319 


Stout,  Ned,  old  miner,  166-168; 

tells  of  gold  hunting,   170;  of 

Indians,    171-174;    of    "Dutch 

Bill,''  174-175;  of  early  prices, 

176-178;  of  Yale,  179-180. 
Straits   of   Juan    de    Fuca,    126- 

127. 
Strathcona,     Lord;     drives     last 

spike,  256. 
Strathcona    Park ;    gateway    to, 

57;    ready    for    travelers,    58; 

description  of,  59-60. 
Sulphur  Mountain  ;  named,  291  ; 

observatory  on,  304. 
Summerland,  201. 
Summit  Lake ;  near  Field,  276. 
Sunwapiti  River,  153. 
Swiss    Guides;    at   Glacier,   260; 

history  of,  261  ;  interview  with, 

262-264. 
Sydney,  21. 


Talbot,  F.  A.;  quoted.  148. 
Takakkaw     Falls;      highest     in 

America,  276. 
Tete     Jaune     (see     Yellowhead 

Pass). 
Thormanby  Islands,  136. 
Three  Sisters  Mountain,  305. 
Thompson,  David  ;  discoverer  of 

Columbia  River,  227. 
Thompson  River,  191-192. 
Tokyo,  214. 
Tolstoi,    Leo ;    quoted,   230,    234, 

239,  244,  248. 
Toronto,  3,  15,  214. 
Totems  ;  Indian  agent  quoted  on, 

65-69;    tattooed   on   body,   67; 

origin    of   bear,   68;    at   Alert 

Bay,  138. 
Trail,  217. 
Tranquille,  193. 
Twin  Falls;  trail  to,  279. 

U 

Upper  Campbell  Lake,  59. 

V 

Valley  of  Consolation,  232-233. 
Valley  of  the  Ten  Peaks;  from 


Lake  Louise,  286;  described, 
286,  287. 

Valley  of  a  Thousand  Falls, 
159-160. 

Van  Ilorne  Peaks ;  visible,  275. 

Van  Home,  Sir  W.  C. ;  named 
Vancouver,  97. 

Vancouver,  12,  19,  55,  80-81,  99, 
116-117,  144-146,  150-151,  164, 
195-196,  199,  229,  234,  253,  259; 
Brittania  copper  mines,  135 ; 
beginning  of,  97;  city  incor- 
porated, 97 ;  metropolis  of 
coast,  98;  arrival  by  steamer, 
100;  population,  loi ;  climate, 
102;  gateway  of  lions,  103, 
105-106,  164;  Capilano  Can- 
yon, 106,  131,  135;  Stanley 
Park,  106-110;  Siwash  Rock, 
iio-iii;  side  trips,  130-131  ; 
North  Arm,  Cathedral  Can- 
yon, Horseshoe  Bay,  English 
Bay,  Bowen  Island,  Whyte- 
cliff,  Howe  Sound,  Seaside 
Park,  Jervis  Inlet,  Butte  In- 
let, 135;  Sechlet,  Porpoise, 
Pender,  Mount  Diadem, 
Painted  Point,  Lund,  Yeucal- 
tau  Rapids,  Buccaneer  Bay, 
Thormanby  Island,  Powell 
River,  136;  Powell  Lake.  Goat 
Lake,  Kingcome  Inlet,  three- 
day  trips  from,  six-day  ex- 
cursions from,  to  Alaska,  to 
Prince  Rupert.  T37;  Johnstone 
Straits.    137-138. 

Vancouver,  Captain  George,  22, 
27,  28,  97,  IT2;  names  Island, 
T,2;   at  Yeucaltan  Rapids,  136. 

Vancouver  Island,  2,  12,  t,2„  46, 
136,  139,  162 ;  motor  route,  22 ; 
Chinese  "  discoverers  "  of,  26. 
28-30;  three  names  of,  32; 
called  "The  Island,"  33;  In- 
dians of,  T,7,  64-73 ;  possession 
of  Hudson's  Bay  company,  42; 
first  parliament,  43;  independ- 
ent Colony,  first  governor,  44; 
union  with  mainland,  45 ;  un- 
favorable to  confederation, 
46;  easily  accessible,  48;  at- 
tractions of,  hotels  of,  49;  big 
game  of,  50;  viewed  from  au- 
tomobile, 51 ;  trees  of,  51,  53- 


320 


Index 


54;  compared  to  Switzerland, 
52;  Malahat  Drive,  59;  fishing 
and  shooting  calendar,  60-62; 
whale  fisheries  of,  73-75 ;  log- 
ging operations,  88-92 ;  tour 
of,  94- 

Vanderhof,  161. 

Veregin,  Peter;  leader  of 
Doukhobors,  229;  writes  to 
Russian  Empress,  244-248 ; 
succeeds  to  leadership,  245 ;  in 
British  Columbia,  251. 

Victoria,  2,  11,  32,  33,  46,  48,  52, 
55>  59,  64,  94-  98,  116,  117,  162, 
163,  169,  176,  184,  199,  201,  214; 
harbour  of,  3,  13,  14;  climate, 
4;  called  Fort  Camosun,  12, 
42 ;  named  for  Queen  Vic- 
toria, 12 ;  cosmopolitan  popu- 
lation of,  14-16;  parliament 
house,  14,  22 ;  "  City  of  Sun- 
shine," 15 ;  gardens  of,  16,  18, 
19;  church-going  in,  17;  first 
mass,  population  of,  18;  streets 
of,  ig;  Oak  Bay,  20;  Beacon 
Hill  Park,  Stadacona  Park, 
Gorge  Park,  Cordova  Bay, 
Mount  Douglas,  Elk  Lane, 
Sydney,  Brentwood,  Foul 
Bay,  21 ;  Provincial  Library, 
22;  Provincial  Museum,  23, 
222 ;  early  days  in,  24-25 ; 
Hudson's  Bay  Fort,  42;  ar- 
rival of  gold  hunters,  43-44  ^ 
becomes  capital,  45 ;  beginnin,;?; 
of  Island  tour,  51-54. 

Victoria  Glacier;  near  Lake 
Louise,  285. 

W 

Wainwrigbt ;  buffalo  at,  300. 
Wapta  Glacier;  visible,  276. 
Washington,    21. 
Watrous,  Richard;  quoted,  58. 


West  Bank ;  described,  202. 
West  Robson,  217,  22T. 
Westminster  Junction,  165. 
William's   Creek,    174-175;  yield 

of  gold  at,  176. 
Wilcox   Pass,   158. 
Wilcox,  W.  D. ;  quoted,  279,  280, 

287. 
Wind  Mountain,  305. 
Windermere  Lake,  22^. 
Winnipeg,  80,  144,  146,  149,  151, 

304. 
Whale     Fisheries;     on     Alljerni 

Canal,  73-79;  station  at  Prince 

Rupert,   149. 
Wheeler,     A.     O. ;     quoted     on 

Nakimu  Caves,  264-267. 
Whirlpool  River,  154. 
White  Grotto,  267. 
Whytecliff,  135. 


Yale,  115,  185,  187,  IQO;  "Paris 
of  British  Columbia,"  163 ; 
present  changes,  164:  arrival 
at,  165-166 ;  oldest  citizen  of, 
167;  "Ned"  Stout  at,  168; 
Hill's  Bar,  169-170;  Indian 
treachery,  171-173;  Stout 
quoted,  170-179;  gay  days  at, 
177-178;  beginning  of  Cariboo 
Road,  179;  half-way  house, 
180;  Barnard's  Express,  184. 

Yangtze  River,  214,  228. 

Yard,  Robert  Sterling;  quoted 
on  parks,  58. 

Yellowhead  Pass,  151-152,  160. 

Yeucaltau  Rapids,  136. 

Yoho  Valley,  157;  trip  to,  from 
Field  and  camping  tour  de- 
scribed, 275-279;  from  Sur- 
prise Point,  279. 

Yokohama,  144. 


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